Division 

Section 


DSI07 
.H  963 


L 


TRAVELING  IN 
THE  HOLY  LAND 

Through  the  Stereoscope 


A  TOUR  CONDUCTED  BY 

s 

JESSE  LYMAN  HURLBUT,  D.D. 

Author  of  Manual  of  Biblical  Geography ,  Normal  Lessons 
for  the  Sunday  School ,  etc.,  etc.  Formerly  Editor  of 
Sunday  School  Literature  for  the  Methodist  Epis¬ 
copal  Church  and  of  Illustrative  Notes  on 
the  International  Sunday  School  Lessons. 
Superintendent  of  the  Normal  De¬ 
partment  of  Chautauqua 
Assembly 


UNDERWOOD 

&  UNDERWOOD 

New  York 

London 

Ottawa,  Kansas 

Toronto,  Canada 

San  Francisco,  California 

Bombay,  India 

Copyright,  1905, 

ii*  uKir.:a\voc.i>  &  cndsjiwoo®. 

Copyright,  1900, 

By  UNDERWOOD  &  UNDERWOOD 
New  York  and  London 
[entered  at  stationers’  hall] 


Stereographs  copyrighted  in  the  United  States  and 
foreign  countries 


MAP  SYSTEM 

Patented  in  the  United  States,  August  21,  1900 
Patented  in  Great  Britain,  March  22,  1900 
Patented  in  France,  March  26,  1900.  S.G.D.G. 
Switzerland,  Patent  Number  21,211 


All  rights  reserved 


Printed  in  the  United  States 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction .  9 

Instructions .  15 

POSITIONS  TAKEN 

1  Jaffa — the  Joppa  of  Bible  times .  20 

2  The  Bazaar  of  Jaffa . 24 

3  House  of  Simon  the  Tanner,  Jaffa .  26 

4  “  Roses  of  Sharon,”  on  the  plain  of  Sharon .  28 

5  Lydia — the  Old  Testament “  Lod.” .  30 

6  Syrian  travelers,  near  Lydda .  33 

7  The  village  of  Amwas  (Emmaus) .  35 

8  Plowing  in  the  Valley  of  A jalon .  «<7 

9  The  Tower  of  David — from  outside  the  city  wall — 

Jerusalem . ’ .  40 

10  The  Jaffa  Gate — from  outside — Jerusalem .  42 

11  Jerusalem,  “the  City  of  Zion,”  southwest  from  the 

northern  wall .  45 

12  Jerusalem  and  the  Mount  of  Olives — east  from  the 

Latin  Hospice .  47 

13  Cattle  Market  day  in  the  Lower  Pool  of  Gihon,  Val¬ 

ley  of  Hinnom,  Jerusalem .  49 

14  The  Valley  of  Kedron  and  village  of  Siloam — from 

the  south .  51 

15  The  Pool  of  Siloam — outside  of  Jerusalem .  53 

16  Tombs  of  the  Prophets,  in  the  King’s  Dale,  Valley 

of  Kedron,  Jerusalem .  55 

17  Garden  of  Gethsemane  and  the  Mount  of  Olives, 

from  the  eastern  wall,  Jerusalem .  57 

18  Jerusalem,  the  City  of  the  Great  King,  from  the 

Mount  of  Olives .  58 


4 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Christian  Street — motley  life  in  the  Holy  City’s 


bazaar  district — Jerusalem .  62 

The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  Jerusalem .  67 

The  Holy  Sepulchre,  Jerusalem .  66 


Easter  Procession  of  the  Greek  Patriarch,  entering 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  Jerusalem. ...  68 

Pilgrims  on  the  Via  Dolorosa,  “the  route  to  Cal¬ 


vary,”  Jerusalem .  69 

The  beautiful  church  of  the  Armenian  Christians, 
Jerusalem .  70 

The  Jews’  wailing  place,  outer  wall  of  Solomon’s 
Temple,  Jerusalem .  72 

“The  new  Calvary,”  outside  the  Damascus  Gate, 
from  the  northern  wall,  Jerusalem .  74 

“The  Tomb  of  our  Lord,”  “new  Calvary,”  outside 
of  Jerusalem .  76 

A  tomb  with  the  stone  rolled  away  (Tombs  of  the 
Kings),  Jerusalem .  77 

Damascus  Gate,  the  northern  entrance  to  Jerusalem.  79 

The  “Dome  of  the  Rock,”  site  of  Solomon’s  Temple 
— from  the  northwest — Jerusalem .  81 

The  sacred  rock,  where  the  Temple  altar  stood, 
Mount  Moriah,  Jerusalem .  84 

The  pulpit  of  Omar,  Mosque  el-Aksa,  Jerusalem. ...  86 

The  lower  road  to  Bethany,  southeast  from  Jerusa¬ 
lem .  88 

“Unclean!  Unclean!” — wretched  lepers  outside 
Jerusalem .  90 

Ancient  olive  trees — Garden  of  Gethsemane — near 
Jerusalem .  91 

Bethany — where  our  Lord  was  anointed  by  Mary — 
looking  south  from  eastern  slope  of  Olivet .  92 

Ruins  of  the  home  of  Martha,  Mary  and  Lazarus  at 
Bethany .  95 

Church  of  Nativity,  built  where  Jesus  was  born, 
Bethlehem  of  Judea .  96 

Bethlehem  of  Judea,  the  birthplace  of  Jesus — west 
from  the  Church  of  the  Nativity .  98 

A  barley  harvest,  near  Bethlehem  of  Judea .  100 

Hebron — the  home  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob — 
from  the  east .  102 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  5 

%■ 

PAGE 

42  Mosque  Machpelah — the  burial  place  of  Abraham, 

Isaac  and  Jacob,  Hebron .  104 

43  The  lonely  convent  of  Mar  Saba,  wilderness  of  Judea.  106 

44  Picturesque  Palestine — the  wilderness  of  the  scape¬ 

goat,  Judea .  108 

45  On  the  north  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea — looking  south¬ 

west .  110 

46  Jordan  and  the  “Promised  Land,”  west  from  the 

cliffs  of  Moab .  112 

47  Baptizing  in  the  Jordan . 113 

48  Mountains  of  Judea,  from  the  plain  of  Jericho .  115 

49  Fountain  of  Elisha — miraculously  sweetened  by  the 

Prophet— near  Jericho .  117 

50  Plain  of  the  Jordan,  southeast  from  the  ruins  of 

ancient  Jericho .  118 

51  Marvelous  gorge  of  Brook  Cherith  and  Elijah  Con¬ 

vent .  120 

52  A  street  in  Ramah .  121 

53  Gathering  tares  from  wheat  in  the  stony  fields  of 

Bethel  (looking  south) .  123 

54  Shiloh,  the  resting  place  of  the  Ark .  126 

55  Entrance  to  Jacob’s  Well,  and  Plain  of  Mukhna 

(looking  southeast) .  127 

56  Mt.  Gerizim,  where  the  Samaritans  worshipped,  and 

steps  leading  to  Jacob’s  Well  (looking  southwest)..  129 

57  A  Samaritan  woman  at  Jacob’s  Well .  131 

58  Nablus  (ancient  Shechem)  and  Mt.  Ebal,  from 

Gerizim  (looking  northeast) .  132 

59  Samaritan  High  Priest,  and  Pentateuch  roll — sup¬ 

posed  writing  of  Abishua,  great-grandson  of 
Aaron — Shechem .  137 

60  Women  grinding  at  the  mill .  139 

61  Hill  of  Samaria — from  the  south — surrounded  by 

its  fig  and  olive  groves .  140 

62  Ancient  royal  city  of  Samaria,  where  Philip  preached 

Christ  (looking  west) .  143 

63  Herod’s  street  of  columns — the  remains  of  “mag¬ 

nificent  ”  Samaria  (looking  east) .  144 

64  Plain  of  Dothan,  where  Joseph  was  sold  to  the 

Ishmaelites .  145 

65  “Joseph’s  Well,”  Dothan .  147 


6 

66 

67 

68 

69 

70 

71 

72 

73 

74 

75 

76 

77 

78 

79 

80 

81 

82 

83 

84 

85 

86 

87 

88 

89 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 


Gideon’s  Spring,  Mt.  Gilboa .  148 

“By  the  side  of  still  waters” — on  the  plain  of 
Jezreel .  151 

Gideon’s  battlefield  and  Hill  of  Moreh,  north  from 
Jezreel .  152 


Village  of  Nain  and  Mt.  Tabor — looking  northeast. . .  154 
Looking  south  from  Mt.  Tabor  to  the  Hill  of  Moreh.  .  155 
Nazareth — the  home  of  the  Child  Jesus — from  the 


northeast .  157 

Ancient  “Fountain  of  the  Virgin” — where  Mary 
came  for  water  for  her  household — Nazareth. .  .  .  159 

Greek  church — on  the  supposed  site  of  the  syna¬ 
gogue,  where  Christ  taught — Nazareth .  160 

A  Christian  girl  of  Nazareth .  162 

Western  end  of  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  Mt. 
Carmel — from  Sheikh  Barak .  163 

River  Kishon — where  Elijah  slew  the  Prophets  of 
Baal — and  Mt.  Carmel .  165 

Rock  of  Elijah’s  altar,  on  Mt.  Carmel,  and  the  Plain 
of  Esdraelon .  166 

Druse  women  at  the  village  oven,  Dalieh,  Mt.  Car¬ 
mel .  167 

Haifa  and  the  Bay  of  Akka — east  from  Mt.  Carmel . .  168 

Cana  of  Galilee  and  its  well .  170 

Looking  northeast  from  the  Mount  of  Beatitudes 
to  the  Sea  of  Galilee .  171 

Tiberias — on  the  Sea  of  Galilee — from  the  northwest.  173 

Tiberias — the  town  of  Jewish  fishermen — Sea  of 
Galilee — from  the  southeast .  175 

Life  on  the  shore  of  Galilee,  at  Tiberias .  176 

Fishermen  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  distant  hills 
of  the  Gadarenes .  177 

Traditional  Bethsaida,  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  the 
Mount  of  Beatitudes .  178 

Traditional  Capernaum,  Christ’s  home  by  the  Sea 
of  Galilee — from  the  northwest .  181 

The  Jordan’s  main  source — one  of  the  world’s  largest 
springs — at  Dan .  182 

Roman  Bridge  over  the  Hasbany — on  the  ancient 
highway  from  Palestine  to  Damascus .  184 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


7 


PAGE 

90  Old  gate  to  Csesarea  Philippi,  at  the  foot  of  Mt. 

Hermon .  186 

91  Summer  Homes  at  Csesarea  Philippi — probably  the 

“  tabernacles  ”  referred  to  by  Peter .  187 

92  Ruins  of  ancient  Tyre — wonderful  fulfillment  of 

prophecy — Syria .  188 

93  Ancient  citadel  in  the  sea,  at  Sidon,  Syria .  190 

94  In  “  Mount  Lebanon/’  at  Zahleh,  Syria .  191 

95  The  Mightiest  building  stone  ever  cut,  ruins  of  Baal¬ 

bek,  Syria .  192 

96  Colossal  remnants  of  the  Sun  Temple — the  grandest 

of  antiquity — Baalbeck,  Syria .  194 

97  Damascus  and  its  gardens — from  the  northwest— 

Syria . . .  196 

98  The  covered  street,  called  “Straight” — from  the 

east — Damascus,  Syria .  198 

99  The  inner  court  of  a  Damascus  home,  Syria. .  . .  200 

100  The  princely  reception  room  of  a  Pasha,  Damascus, 

Syria .  201 

APPENDIX 

a  Summary  of  Bible  History .  204 

b  The  Land  of  Palestine .  211 

MAPS 

(Inserted  in  order  at  the  end  of  the  volume) 

1  Modern  Jerusalem. 

2  Jerusalem,  Mount  of  Olives  and  Bethany. 

3  Jericho  and  Surroundings. 

4  The  Vale  of  Shechem  (Nablus). 

5  Samaria  (Sebastie). 

6  Section  of  Galilee. 

7  Map  of  Palestine,  showing  the  general  route. 


i 


INTRODUCTION 


My  purpose  is  to  serve,  in  this  book,  as  a  personal 
guide  to  one  hundred  stereographed  places  in  Pales¬ 
tine.  Consequently  there  are  several  facts  which 
should  be  definitely  recognized  by  those  who  would 
make  use  of  the  following  pages.  The  first  is,  that  a 
stereoscopic  photograph,  when  seen  through  the 
stereoscope,  furnishes  a  representation  of  a  place  or 
object  essentially,  fundamentally,  different  from  that 
furnished  by  any  other  kind  of  illustration.  An 
ordinary  single  photograph  gives  a  representation  on 
a  small,  flat  surface,  that  is,  in  two  dimensions — 
breadth  and  height,  with  merely  an  appearance  of  the 
third  dimension,  depth.  But  the  stereograph  consists 
of  two'such  single  photographs,  taken  from  two  points 
of  view,  between  two  and  three  inches  apart,  the 
normal  distance  between  our  eyes,  and  when  seen  in 
the  stereoscope  these  two  flat  surface  photographs  are 
united  and  become  to  the  eyes  a  space — a  space  of  three 
dimensions,  breadth,  height  and  depth.  And  when 
the  focal  length  of  the  camera  and  the  stereoscope  are 
made  to  correspond,  as  they  practically  do  in  this 
series,  the  stereograph  becomes  not  only  an  actual 
space  to  the  eyes,  but  a  life-size  representation,  the 
object  or  landscape  being  shown  in  natural  perspective, 
natural  size  and  at  natural  distance.  That  is,  the 
two  small,  flat  prints,  3x3  inches  in  size,  about  six 
inches  in  front  of  the  eyes,  serve  as  two  windows 


10 


INTRODUCTION 


through  which  we  look,  and  beyond  which  we  see  the 
representation  of  the  object  or  place,  standing  out  as 
large  as  the  original  object  or  place  would  appear  to 
the  eyes  of  one  looking  from  the  place  where  the 
camera  stood. 

Remarkable  as  these  statements  may  seem  when 
thoughtfully  considered,  still  they  are  absolutely  true 
— based  on  scientific  facts,  which  may  be  found 
explained  in  any  reliable  treatise  on  binocular  vision. 
And,  being  true,  it  is  easily  seen  that  it  is  of  real 
importance,  first  of  all,  that  we  recognize  clearly  and 
finally  the  largeness,  the  great  size,  of  these  represen¬ 
tations  with  which  we  have  to  do.  We  are  not  to 
look  on  small ,  flat  photographic  prints,  but  through 
them,  and  our  eyes  are  to  roam  over  life-size  represen¬ 
tations  of  one  hundred  definite  sections  of  Palestine. 
One  hundred  life-size  models  of  stone  and  dirt  of 
these  same  parts  of  Palestine,  so  rich  in  historical 
memories,  could  not  be  more  definite  and  solid  to  the 
eyes — moreover,  they  would  be  vastly  less  accurate 
and  not  at  all  serviceable  for  use.  We  must  grasp 
and  hold  fast  to  this  fact  as  to  the  size  of  these  represen¬ 
tations  when  seen  in  the  stereoscope,  and  as  a  neces¬ 
sary  help  to  this,  their  location  entirely  separate  from 
and  back  of  the  stereoscopic  card,  if  we  are  to  be  in  a 
position  to  begin  to  judge  of  their  usefulness. 

The  second  great  fact  is  that  these  one  hundred 
stereographs  become  not  only  life-size  representations, 
capable  of  giving  impressions  to  the  mind  as  such,  but 
they  are  capable  of  being  more  than  mere  represen¬ 
tations  in  their  power  to  teach  and  influence  us.  I 
mean  that,  when  properly  looked  at,  they  always 


INTRODUCTION 


11 


affect  us  in  some  measure  as  would  the  very  realities 
which  they  represent.  And,  indeed,  it  is  undoubtedly 
true  that  they  may  be,  for  an  appreciable  length  of 
time,  when  used  under  the  best  conditions,  all  that 
the  realities  themselves  would  be,  in  their  power  to 
affect  and  inspire  us.  This  could  not  be  possible 
except  for  several  reasons.  These  representations 
are  infinitely  accurate  in  detail  and  proportion,  and 
are  therefore  marvelously  realistic.  Then — and  it  is 
an  absolutely  indispensable  condition — they  are  not 
looked  at  in  the  hand,  but  with  the  eyes  within  the 
hood  of  the  stereoscope,  our  immediate  surroundings 
being  entirely  shut  out.  Consequently  the  most 
perfect  conditions  are  furnished  for  concentrating  and 
holding  the  attention,  and  so  enabling  us  to  gain  a 
distinct  sense  or  experience  of  location  in  one  hundred 
places  in  Palestine.  Whether  all  would  be  ready  to 
admit,  at  first,  or  not  that  the  stereoscopic  represen¬ 
tation  ever  becomes  everything  that  the  reality  could 
be,  still  all  who  carefully  look  into  the  question  will 
agree  that  it  can  become,  in  a  large  measure,  what  the 
original  scene  would  be  to  us.  Thus,  we  have  to  do 
not  only  with  life-size  representations,  but  with  what 
are,  to  a  large  degree,  the  actual  parts  of  Palestine 
itself  in  their  power  to  teach  and  affect  us. 

It  is  the  recognition  of  these  two  great  facts  that  has 
determined  the  nature  of  this  book.  If  stereographs 
are  life-size  spaces  of  three  dimensions  to  the  eyes,  they 
should  be  recognized  as  such  and  used  as  such.  And 
if  they  may  be  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  according  as 
we  use  them,  the  realities  to  us,  then  they  should  be 
treated  so  as  to  make  them  realities  as  far  as  possible. 


12 


INTRODUCTION 


And  it  seems  the  more  we  treat  them  as  places,  as 
Palestine  itself,  the  more  they  become  the  same  to  us. 
Accordingly  in  the  following  pages  are  given  sucji 
maps  and  information  as  will  make  this  small  volume 
serve  the  purpose  of  a  guide-book,  and  at  the  same 
time,  as  I  said  at  the  beginning,  I  have  tried  to  serve 
in  it  as  a  personal  guide,  saying  everything  in  such  a 
way  as  to  constantly  help  and  lead  us  to  make  this 
tour,  to  visit  these  stereographed  scenes,  as  a  tourist 
visits  the  actual  scenes  in  Palestine.  It  will  be  found 
that  on  this  stereoscopic  tour  one  is  carried  to  all  the 
more  important  places  in  Palestine,  and  in  the  same 
order  that  a  tourist  might  visit  them;  and  in  the  more 
important  sections  the  stereographed  scenes  are  so 
connected  that  you  may  move  from  one  position  to 
another  in  such  a  way  as  to  really  make  it  a  continuous 
journey.  I  urge  upon  all  who  have  not  actually 
visited  Palestine,  to  give  the  closest  attention  to  the 
maps  and  the  descriptions,  with  the  purpose  of  always 
keeping  their  bearings  as  they  move  from  one  place  to 
another. 

Finally,  we  have  space  for  only  a  word  on  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  the  land  of  Palestine,  why  we  need  to  know  it 
intimately,  why  we  should  stand  in  the  very  presence 
of  its  hills  and  valleys: 

The  land  of  Palestine  has  been  called  the  “  Fifth 
Gospel.”  A  visit  to  it,  under  the  best  conditions,  has 
been  placed  in  educational  value  beyond  that  of  a  post¬ 
graduate  course  of  study.  In  what  way,  then,  can  the 
knowing  of  this  land  help  us  so  much?  Briefly,  we 
may  say,  in  helping  to  make  the  Bible  real  to  us.  And 
this  is  precisely  the  greatest  difficulty  we  meet  when 


INTRODUCTION 


13 


trying  to  read  the  Bible  intelligently.  We  must 
remember — it  cannot  be  too  often  emphasized — that 
the  Bible  is  a  history;  that  in  the  Bible  God  reveals 
His  plan  of  saving  men — not  in  a  theological  system, 
but  in  this  history,  this  story,  of  His  dealings  with 
His  chosen  people.  And  as  history  takes  place  on  the 
earth,  not  in  the  air,  the  foundations  of  this  book  are 
laid  not  only  in  human  history,  but  also  in  geography. 
If  the  history  of  the  children  of  Israel  be  mythological, 
false — if  the  land  is  not  a  reality,  if  the  Jordan  and 
the  Mountains  of  Judea  do  not  exist — then  the 
prophecy,  the  doctrine,  “the  exceeding  great  and 
precious  promises,77  all  fail  us. 

Clearly,  then,  if  we  are  to  understand  the  truths  of 
salvation  as  revealed  in  Scripture,  we  must  study  Bible 
History.  But  thousands  of  years  have  passed  since 
these  records  were  made,  and  the  lands  in  which  the 
events  recorded  are  said  to  have  occurred  are  thous¬ 
ands  of  miles  away.  The  conditions  of  life  then  were 
very  different  from  ours  to-day.  Consequently,  as 
we  have  said,  we  find  it  very  difficult  to  think  ourselves 
into  those  far-away  lands,  back  to  those  distant  times, 
to  make  that  history  real  to  us — real  as  the  deeds  of 
men  about  us  to-day.  Now,  what  can  be  the  greatest 
help  to  us  in  overcoming  this  greatest  difficulty? 
What  is  the  most  rational  course  to  pursue?  First  of 
all,  we  must  see  that  the  land  is  real.  And  most  of  us 
will  find  that  the  actual  places  in  Palestine  have  been 
preached  about  and  sung  about — Jordan  as  the  “  River 
of  Death;77  Zion  as  a  “ Spiritual  Kingdom77 — until 
they,  more  than  most  distant  localities,  have  come  to 
take  on  a  mythical  character.  Surely,  as  long  as  the 


14 


INTRODUCTION 


places  that  do  exist  to-day  are  unreal  to  us,  it  will  be 
extremely  hard  to  have  the  history  which  occurred 
in  those  places  centuries  ago — the  people  who  lived  in 
them — actualities  to  us.  Consequently  we  need  to 
know  first,  intimately — to  see,  if  possible — the  very 
stone  and  earth  of  which  those  places  are  composed. 
Such  experiences  help  us  as  nothing  else  can;  they 
are  magical  in  their  power  to  give  us  a  vivid  realiza¬ 
tion  of  actuality  in  the  Bible  narrative.  Heretofore 
it  has  been  possible  only  for  the  few,  by  an  actual  visit, 
to  have  the  land  made  thus  real  to  them,  and  indeed, 
the  study  of  Palestine  geography  by  means  of  maps 
and  descriptions,  as  well  as  Bible  History,  has  been 
left  far  too  much  to  the  pastor’s  study  and  advanced 
classes.  This  should  not  be  the  case,  for  the  truest 
devotional  reading  of  the  Bible  can  be  done  only  when 
one  is  deeply  convinced  of  the  historical  worth  of  the 
narrative  or  teaching.  Now,  for  the  first  time,  all 
may  go  far  beyond  such  study  of  Palestine  as  has  been 
possible  with  ordinary  maps  and  ordinary  pictures, 
and  written  descriptions.  Now,  if  in  connection  with 
the  specially  devised  maps  in  this  book,  we  give  our¬ 
selves  up  to  the  study  of  these  “ parts”  of  the  Land, 
through  the  stereoscope,  then,  m  a  true  sense  we  may 
have  experiences  of  standing  in  the  very  presence  of 
Palestine.  This  “  Fifth  Gospel”  has,  in  the  past,  been 
closed,  practically,  to  the  vast  majority  of  believers. 
Now,  in  a  real  sense,  it  is  possible  for  all  to  know  what 
it  means  to  stand  in  all  the  more  important  places 
throughout  the  land. 

Jesse  L.  Hurlbut. 

New  York  City,  January,  1900. 


INSTRUCTIONS 


1.  Find  each  successive  position  on  some  one  of  the  maps. 
A  brief  description  of  the  geography  of  Palestine  is  given  on 
page  211  and  will  be  found  a  help  to  the  understanding  of  the 
land.  But  constant  reference  should  be  made  to  the  maps; 
first,  to  the  general  map  at  the  end  of  this  book,  and  then  to 
the  detail  maps  of  special  sections  when  given.  Even  those 
who  are  very  familiar  with  the  land  will  need  to  consult  these 
maps  to  determine  the  position  from  which  they  are  looking 
in  each  instance,  as  well  as  the  direction  in  which  they  are 
looking  and  the  exact  territory  embraced  in  each.  Great 
care  has  been  taken  to  have  the  maps  accurate.  The  system 
for  locating  the  successive  positions,  given  in  connection 
with  the  maps,  has  been  specially  devised  for  this  purpose  and 
patented. 

Note  that  the  general  map  of  Palestine,  though  referred  to 
from  the  beginning,  is  numbered  7  and  inserted  last;  this  is 
in  order  that  it  may  conveniently  be  kept  unfolded  during 
the  reading  of  the  book  ready  for  comparison  with  any  one  of 
the  other  sectional  maps,  as  may  be  desired. 

2.  Move  the  slide  or  carrier,  which  holds  the  view,  to  the 
point  on  the  shaft  of  the  stereoscope  where  the  view  can  be 
seen  most  distinctly. 

3.  See  that  the  best  light  available  falls  on  the  face  of  the 
photograph. 

4.  Hold  the  stereoscope  firmly  against  the  forehead, 
excluding  all  surrounding  light  from  the  eyes. 

5.  Do  not  take  the  successive  positions  too  rapidly — this 
is  the  greatest  mistake  people  make  in  using  them.  Each 
outlook  should  be  studied  and  pondered  over.  Usually 
illustrations  and  photographs  serve  merely  as  an  embellish¬ 
ment  or  supplement  to  the  text — that  is,  the  reading  matter 
of  a  book  or  article.  But  in  this  case  that  order  is  reversed. 
What  we  see  forms  the  real  text  and  all  that  is  said  in  this 
book  is  intended  as  a  supplement  to  what  is  seen — as  a  help  to 
its  understanding.  Dr.  Holmes  well  said,  “It  is  a  mistake 
to  suppose  that  one  knows  a  stereoscopic  picture  after  he 


16 


INSTRUCTIONS 


has  studied  it  a  hundred  times . There  is  such  a  frightful 

amount  of  detail  that  we  have  the  same  sense  of  infinite 
complexity  which  nature  gives  us.”  By  taking  time  to  note 
some  of  these  numberless  details  we  are  helped  as  in  no  other 
way  to  feel  that  we  are  in  Palestine — which  should  be  our 
constant  purpose.  These  “parts”  of  Palestine  have  a  thou¬ 
sand  things  to  tell  us  if  we  give  them  a  chance. 

6.  Keep  clearly  in  mind  the  general  course  of  Bible  history. 
This  is  particularly  important  because  we  are  to  follow  the 
same  route  in  going  through  Palestine  that  a  tourist  might 
take  and  shall  not  therefore  be  able  to  call  up  Bible  events  in 
the  order  in  which  they  transpired.  For  those  not  very 
familiar  with  the  order  of  these  events,  there  is  given  toward 
the  end  of  this  book  a  brief  but  comprehensive  historical  out¬ 
line.  By  running  this  over  now  and  then,  we  can  easily  keep 
before  us  a  bird’s-eye  view  of  the  whole  course  of  Bible  history, 
and  thus  be  able  to  refer  almost  instantly  the  events  called 
up  at  each  place  we  visit  to  their  proper  period  in  the  chron¬ 
ological  outline. 


THE  TRIP  THROUGH  THE 
HOLY  LAND 


Have  you  dreamed  of  visiting  Palestine?  Have  you 
longed  to  know  what  it  would  mean  to  stand  by  the 
wall  of  Jerusalem?  in  Nazareth?  by  the  Jordan?  You 
may  now  know,  by  the  right  use  of  the  stereographs, 
specially  devised  maps  and  this  book,  what  it  is  to  stand 
in  those  very  places. 

At  first  you  may  be  inclined  to  ridicule  this  statement, 
or  to  pass  it  by  lightly.  Many  people  would  be  likely 
to  say,  “Oh,  yes,  I  would  give  a  good  deal  to  visit 
Bethlehem,  to  stand  in  a  street  in  Jerusalem  or  by  the 
shore  of  Galilee,  but  no  experience  I  can  get  with  this 
stereoscope  and  these  small  photographs  can  be  com¬ 
pared  with  the  experiences  of  actually  being  in  those 
places.  There  is  an  infinite  difference  between  pieces 
of  pasteboard  and  paper  and  Palestine  itself;  and 
therefore  there  must  be  an  infinite  difference  between 
my  experiences  of  seeing  the  photograph  and  the  place. 
To  give  me  what  may  be  called  in  any  true  sense  an 
experience  of  seeing  Palestine  you  must  either  bring 
Palestine  to  me  or  take  me  to  Palestine.” 

The  logic  by  which  this  conclusion  is  reached  seems 
at  first  to  be  conclusive,  but  it  is  precisely  here  that  the 
student  of  the  mind  differs  with  the  casual  observer. 
“You  make,”  he  says,  “too  much  of  the  land,  the  ma¬ 
terial  Palestine,  being  present  or  absent.  If  you  go  as 
a  traveler  to  Palestine  you  do  not  go  to  get  the  material 
land,  the  hills,  cities,  people;  you  do  not  bring  them 
away  with  you  on  your  return.  Nevertheless  you  feel 
you  obtain  what  you  went  after.  What  is  it,  then? 


18 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


Evidently  your  experiences  of  being  in  the  presence  of 
the  land.  That  is,  wherever  we  are,  we  have  to  do 
with  what  may  be  called  two  kinds  of  realities,  one  ob¬ 
jective,  the  material  world  about  us,  earth,  buildings, 
people — and  the  other  subjective,  the  states  of  our  con¬ 
scious  selves — thoughts,  emotions,  desires.  And  it  is 
these  mental  states,  this  subjective  reality,  that  we  really 
seek  in  traveling.  The  places,  buildings,  people  are 
only  means  of  giving  us  these  experiences.  So  now, 
coming  back  to  the  stereoscope,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  in 
holding  to  the  fact  that  the  land,  the  real  Palestine,  is 
not  present,  we  are  only  recognizing  that  one  of  the  two 
kinds  of  reality,  the  objective,  is  absent.  But  we  do 
have  the  subjective  reality.  There  is  indeed  an  infinite 
difference  between  the  picture  and  the  place  itself  as 
objective  realities,  but  there  need  be  no  essential  dif¬ 
ference  between  the  ideas  and  emotions  which  the  pic¬ 
ture  and  the  place  can  produce  within  us.  We  are  deal¬ 
ing  with  realities  in  the  stereoscope,  but  they  are  real 
experiences  of  seeing  Palestine,  not  the  material  earth 
and  water  and  air  of  Palestine. 

Many  authorities  might  be  quoted  to  make  us  more 
alive  to  the  possibilities  here  opened  to  us,  but  I  will 
give  only  one,  an  apt  statement  by  Professor  Lough,  of 
New  York  University : 

“The  essential  thing  for  us  is  not  that  we  have  the 
actual  physical  place  or  object  before  us,  as  a  tourist 
does,  rather  than  a  picture,  but  that  we  have  some,  at 
least,  of  the  same  facts  of  consciousness,  ideas  and  emo¬ 
tions,  in  the  presence  of  the  picture,  that  the  tourist 
gains  in  the  presence  of  the  scene.  This  is  entirely 
possible  in  the  stereoscope.” 

Of  course  the  experiences  made  possible  by  the  stereo¬ 
scope  have  many  limitations,  as  compared  with  actual 
travel.  We  cannot  get  in  the  stereoscope  the  traveler’s 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


19 


experiences  of  movement;  neither  can  we  get  color; 
the  sense  of  location  in  the  place  represented  may  be 
limited  in  duration,  often  lasting  with  some  people  only 
a  few  seconds  at  a  time;  and  further  there  may  be  a 
difference  in  the  intensity  of  the  feeling,  though  not  a 
difference  in  the  kind  of  feeling.  It  is  found,  how¬ 
ever,  that  none  of  these  limitations  affect  the  reality  or 
genuineness  of  one’s  experiences  in  connection  with  the 
stereoscope.  In  other  words,  the  experiences  made  pos¬ 
sible  by  the  right  use  of  the  stereographs  with  the  spe¬ 
cial  maps  and  this  book  are  comparable  to  the  experi¬ 
ences  we  would  gain  by  being  carried  unconsciously  to 
Palestine  and  being  permitted  to  look  out  over  one  hun¬ 
dred  of  the  most  important  places  there.  Who  would 
not  consider  this  a  great  privilege? 

The  results  of  such  experiences  will  be  lifelong.  We 
shall  have  a  deeper  interest  in  all  we  ever  see  or  hear 
about  the  people  who  have  lived  in  these  places  or  the 
events  that  occurred  in  them.  “The  Bible  reads  like  a 
new  book  to  me,”  so  says  one  who  has  made  such  a 
journey. 

No  one  claims,  however,  that  these  experiences  can 
be  obtained  in  their  largest  possibility  unless  the  most 
careful  use  is  made  of  the  special  maps  as  well  as  the 
suggestions  in  this  book  in  connection  with  the  places 
seen.  We  certainly  cannot  expect  to  gain  a  definite 
consciousness  or  experience  of  location  in  any  place, 
unless  we  know  where  the  place  is  and  what  are  its  sur¬ 
roundings. 

Let  us  turn,  therefore,  first  of  all,  to  our  general 
map  of  Palestine  (Map  7),  at  the  end  of  the  book, 
and  spread  it  out  before  us.  We  look  down  on  the 
whole  land,  from  Tyre  and  Sidon  and  Damascus  on  the 
north  to  the  Dead  Sea  on  the  south.  It  is  hardly  more 
than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from  Damas- 


20  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

cus  to  the  Dead  Sea;  a  little  more  than  seventy-five 
miles  from  Galilee  and  the  Sea  of  Galilee  to  Jndea  and 
the  Dead  Sea.  Looking  from  east  to  west,  we  see,  first, 
the  eastern  table  land,  and  then,  in  succession,  the  Jor¬ 
dan  valley,  the  central  mountain  region,  the  maritime 
plain,  and,  lastly,  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  with  hardly 
any  indentations  on  the  coast.  The  numbers  in  red, 
with  diverging  red  lines,  show  some  of  the  positions 
we  are  to  take  on  our  journey  through  the  land.  The 
rectangles  in  red  indicate  the  sections  given  on  special 
maps,  where  other  positions  are  indicated. 

We  are  to  enter  the  land  at  Jaffa,  the  ancient  seaport. 
Note  its  position  on  the  coast,  well  down  at  the  south, 
yet  fifteen  miles  or  more  farther  north  than  Jerusalem 
and  the  north  end  of  the  Dead  Sea.  At  Jaffa  note  the 
number  1  in  red,  and  the  two  red  lines  which  start  out 
in  the  sea  and  branch  toward  the  shore.  They  mean 
that  for  our  first  position  in  Palestine  we  are  to  stand 
on  a  ship  which  lies  before  Jaffa  and  that  we  shall  look 
east  to  the  ancient  town  on  the  shore. 

Position  i.  Jaffa,  the  Joppa  of  Bible  times 

Here  we  are  before  Jaffa,  the  Joppa  of  the  Bible! 
What  a  compact,  solid-looking  town  it  is !  Those  houses, 
rising  in  regular  rows,  like  terraces,  seem  to  stand 
pretty  close  together,  with  scarcely  any  space  for  streets 
between  them.  The  building  directly  in  front  of  us, 
and  near  the  water,  looking  like  a  fort,  with  its  row  of 
port-holes,  is  the  Turkish  Custom  House,  where  our 
luggage  must  be  examined,  unless  we  drop  a  few  piasters 
into  the  hand  of  the  officer.  That  tower  on  the  top 
of  the  hill  belongs  to  a  monastery.  Rather  small 
quarters  in  that  mass  of  buildings  before  us  for  a  popu¬ 
lation  of  23,000  people,  half  of  them  Mohammedans, 


Position  1.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


21 


a  quarter  Christians — so  called — and  a  quarter  Jews. 
See  that  little  boat  dancing  on  the  waves.  It  carries 
the  flag  of  the  Crescent  and  Star,  which  we  shall  find 
all  over  the  Turkish  Empire.  It  is  the  boat  of  the 
Customs  officer,  and  it  will  soon  be  followed  by  a  swarm 
of  similar  cockle-shell  craft,  which  are  to  take  us  and 
our  belongings  ashore.  You  know  that  there  is  no 
real  “port”  here  at  Jaffa,  though  they  call  it  the  sea¬ 
port  of  Palestine.  Let  us  turn  to  the  general  map  of 
Palestine  (at  the  end  of  the  book)  and  note  the  straight 
shore  line  at  Jaffa.  Because  of  the  lack  of  a  sheltered 
haven,  all  ships  have,  like  ours,  to  lie  at  anchor  in  the 
open  sea ;  the  passengers  must  be  rowed  ashore,  through 
that  white  line  of  breakers  which  you  see  yonder,  under 
which  runs  a  very  wicked  reef.  It  would  be  an  im¬ 
mense  advantage  to  the  business  interests  of  Jaffa  and, 
indeed,  of  all  Palestine,  if  the  port  could  be  made 
more  convenient  for  handling  passengers  and  freight, 
but  the  idea  does  not  appeal  to  the  government. 

While  we  are  waiting  for  our  boat,  let  us  try  to  real¬ 
ize  where  we  are,  and  what  lies  before  us  in  our  jour¬ 
ney.  Around  us  roll  the  waves  of  the  Mediterranean 
Sea;  back  of  us  they  stretch  away  until  they  break  on 
the  shores  of  Greece,  Italy,  Spain,  and  sweep  through 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  2,000  miles  to  the  west  of  us, 
into  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  But  just  before  us,  they 
touch  the  shores  of  Palestine.  At  last  we  are  to  visit 
places  of  which  we  have  thought  and  dreamed  since 
childhood.  Almost  at  our  feet  is  the  soil  of  the  Holy 
Land.  Joppa  itself  has  no  small  interest  to  the  reader 
of  the  Bible,  with  its  memories  of  Solomon,1  and  J onah/ 
and  Dorcas,3  and  Peter.4  And  beyond  that  hill  stand 
Jerusalem,  and  Bethlehem,  and  Nazareth.  It  quickens 

1 II.  Chron.  ii :  16.  *  Acts  ix :  36. 

*  Jonah  i :  3.  4  Acts  ix :  38-43.  - 

Position  1.  Map  7. 


22  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

our  breath  and  gives  us  a  thrill  to  think  that  we  are 
to  stand  in  the  very  places  where,  centuries  ago,  history 
was  made  that  has  transformed  the  world.  But  let  us 
recognize  the  fact  that  we  shall  not  obtain  anything 
like  the  full  value  of  this  pilgrimage  unless  we  have 
in  the  very  beginning  and  throughout  a  definite,  intel¬ 
ligent  idea  of  what  we  are  seeking  in  it.  We  are  not  to 
regard  ours  as  an  ordinary  tour  for  pleasure.  We  shall 
not  find  in  Palestine  natural  scenery  of  great  beauty 
and  splendor,  nor  magnificent  architecture,  nor  treas¬ 
ures  of  art.  What,  then,  shall  we  find  in  this  jour¬ 
ney?  We  shall  make  a  dead  Past  live  again.  His¬ 
torical  events  that  have  been  to  us  mere  statements 
will  henceforth  be  realities  when  we  have  seen  the 
hills  where  they  really  took  place;  and  men  that  have 
been  names  and  nothing  more  will  become  heroes, 
living  again,  when  we  have  looked  upon  the  paths 
that  they  have  trod.  Our  constant  endeavor,  then, 
must  be  to  place  ourselves  back  from  the  ignoble 
present  of  this  land  into  its  mighty  past;  to  associate 
with  each  place  that  we  shall  see  its  men  and  its  events. 
If  we  can  only  “make  past  deeds  live  again  where  they 
were  wrought,”  then  these  places  which  we  are  to  visit 
will  be  entrancingly  interesting;  we  shall  wish  to  stand 
in  them  not  a  few  minutes,  but  for  hours ;  we  shall  not 
be  satisfied  with  a  single  glance,  or  even  a  single  study; 
we  shall  be  content  only  when  we  have  returned  to  them 
again  and  again. 

But  to  do  this,  to  make  this  Past  alive  and  real,  we 
must  first  of  all  recognize  the  fact  that  to  nearly  every¬ 
body,  even  to  Bible-readers,  these  events  which  have 
given  their  interest  to  this  land  are  very  unreal  and 
shadowy.  We  believe  the  history  of  the  Bible,  we  ac¬ 
cept  it  as  true,  but  too  often  it  passes  for  a  story,  al- 


Posltlon  1.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  23 

most  a  myth,  as  far  as  its  effect  upon  us  in  concerned. 
We  have  heard  Bible  people  discoursed  upon  until 
they  have  faded  away  into  abstract  characters;  and 
Bible  places  spiritualized  into  allegorical  unrealities. 
Let  it  be  our  effort  on  this  journey  to  arouse  our  histori¬ 
cal  imagination.  We  must  people  those  streets  with  the 
busy  life  of  two  thousand  years  ago,  which  was  as  real 
as  though  it  was  only  yesterday.  We  must  make  the 
heroes  of  these  hills  of  Palestine  live  again,  by  an  ef¬ 
fort  of  our  thought.  We  must  get  out  of  the  Present 
into  the  Past,  and  bring  the  Past  into  the  living  Pres¬ 
ent,  if  we  are  to  obtain  the  largest  reward  for  our  jour¬ 
ney  in  this  land. 

So,  let  us  begin  right  here  at  Joppa  to  awaken  the 
memories  that  slumber  in  this  old  town.  Do  you  know 
that  three  thousand  years  ago  a  great  raft  of  timber  lay 
moored  in  front  of  this  very  reef,  rising  and  falling  and 
bumping  together  in  the  breakers?  Those  were  the 
cedar-trees,  cut  on  Mount  Lebanon,  and  floated  down 
the  coast  for  the  building  of  Solomon’s  Temple.  I 
should  not  wonder  if  Solomon  himself  stood  on  yonder 
rocky  shore  to  see  his  cedars  safely  landed.  In  that 
rift  between  the  breakers  once,  about  800  years  before 
Christ  came,  a  ship  sailed  out,  we  are  told,  bearing  the 
prophet  Jonah,  whose  face  ought  to  have  been  toward 
the  east  and  not  the  west. 

But  you  are  impatient  to  go  on  shore,  and  we  will 
trust  ourselves  to  the  care  of  those  fierce-looking  boat¬ 
men.  We  must  climb  down  the  steamer’s  side;  ride 
through  the  breakers  to  that  rocky  landing-place,  which 
opens  to  us  the  land  of  lands. 

A  street  leading  up  toward  the  left  from  near  the 
Custom  House  would  take  us  to  our  second  standpoint. 


PoMltion  1.  Map  7. 


24  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Position  2.  The  Bazaar  of  Jaffa 

All  the  year  round  there  is  a  daily  market  in  this 
open  space,  though  the  greatest  variety  of  wares  appear 
in  Summer  and  Autumn.  Even  in  Winter  there  is  no 
snow  here  on  this  part  of  the  coast.  These  peasant 
farmers  have  come  here  from  scattered  hamlets  in  the 
Plain  of  Sharon,  some  arriving  at  sunrise.  A  strange, 
shifting  scene  is  this  Oriental  crowd  gathered  in  the 
public  square!  Look  at  the  loose  robes,  and  the  baggy 
trousers,  and  the  white  turbans !  If  the  few  people  in  a 
semi-European  dress — combining  Paris  with  Bagdad 
fashions — were  out  of  the  way,  we  could  easily  imagine 
that  we  had  been  transported  back  a  couple  of  thousand 
years,  and  that  we  are  looking  on  a  Joppa  throng  as 
the  Apostle  Peter  saw  it.  The  camel  stalks  about, 
ragged  and  awkward,  yet  in  all  the  dignity  of  ancient 
rank.  A  cheap  camel  could  be  bought  here  for  perhaps 
fifteen  dollars.  Look  at  his  humble  work-fellow,  the 
donkey,  with  panniers  on  his  back.  He  carries  them 
with  philosophic  resignation.  Donkeys  are  worth  from 
four  to  six  dollars.  Those  white  or  variegated  robes 
girdled  at  the  waist  are  the  indoor  garments  of  all 
Orientals.  That  brown  mantle  with  wide  stripes,  worn 
by  so  many,  is  the  abba ,  the  universal  overcoat  of  the 
East.  Without  doubt  the  patriarch  Abraham  wore  one 
just  like  it,  and  it  was  such  a  cloak  that  Paul  left  at 
Troas  with  his  friend  Carpus.1  Do  you  notice  that  lit¬ 
tle  shed,  in  the  middle  of  the  throng?  That  is  the 
office  where  every  dealer  pays  his  octroi ,  or  city  tax, 
upon  all  merchandise,  a  requirement  universal  through¬ 
out  the  Mediterranean  world.  The  very  slight  knowl¬ 
edge  of  arithmetic  which  these  men  possess  was  learned 
probably  in  the  government  schools,  where  a  few  cents 

1 II.  Timothy  iv  :  13. 


Position  2.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  25 

were  paid  weekly  for  lessons  in  reading,  writing  and  ele¬ 
mentary  arithmetic.  The  village  sheiks,  who  teach  the 
reading  of  the  Koran,  seldom  pay  any  attention  to 
mathematics.  Yon  see  in  this  crowd  bnt  few  women, 
and  those  of  the  peasant  class.  They  sell  fruits  and 
vegetables.  Some  of  these  home-made  baskets  contain 
potatoes,  beans,  peas,  figs  and  plums.  Six  pounds  of 
tomatoes  can  be  bought  for  a  cent.  One  hundred 
oranges  sell  for  five  cents  in  Turkish  money,  and  Jaffa 
oranges  are  the  best  in  the  world,  juicy,  sweet,  and  as 
solid  as  a  beefsteak.  You  observe  a  general  air  of  di¬ 
lapidation  in  the  buildings  and  awnings  around  the 
square.  This  is  characteristic  of  the  Orient  to-day; 
whether  it  has  been  so  always  may  be  uncertain.  If  you 
would  see  neat,  trim  buildings,  and  a  regard  for  appear¬ 
ances,  you  must  look  to  the  West,  not  to  the  East. 
Judging  from  the  shabby  beam  at  our  feet,  the  building 
we  are  on  would  be  called  ancient  in  any  Western 
land. 

If  you  wanted  to  rent  a  house  here  you  would  have 
to  pay  about  thirty  dollars  a  year  for  a  three-room 
home,  or  one  hundred  dollars  for  a  house  of  six  rooms. 
Food  for  a  family  of  four  (if  living  according  to  local 
standards  of  prosperous  people)  would  cost  about  one 
dollar  weekly. 

We  are  in  a  Bible  landscape,  among  people  clad  in 
Biblical  garments.  Let  us  try  to  see,  also,  one  of  the 
crowds  which  surely  gathered  here  in  Bible  times,  trad¬ 
ing  and  discussing  the  events  of  those  far-off  days.  Is 
one  of  those  turbaned  men  telling  his  friends  that  Dor¬ 
cas,  the  good  woman  who  made  so  many  garments  for 
the  poor  widows,  has  just  died,  in  a  house  around  the 
corner?  Is  another  waiting  for  Simon  Peter  to  pass 
through  the  market  place,  coming  from  Lydda?  You 


Position  2.  Map  7. 


26  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

remember  that  when  Dorcas  died,  they  laid  out  her  body 
in  an  upper  chamber,  and  sent  for  Peter.  He  came, 
prayed  over  her,  and  she  rose  to  life  once  more. 

If  we  have  looked  long  enough  at  the  market  place, 
let  us  leave  it,  and  walk  to  the  tanners’  quarter  of  the 
city,  by  the  seaside.  There  we  shall  find  the  house 
where  the  Apostle  Peter  is  said  to  have  spent  many  days 
in  Joppa. 

Position  3.  The  House  of  Simon  the  Tanner 

Am  I  sure  that  this  is  the  identical  house  where 
Peter  stayed  and  received  that  wonderful  vision  which 
transformed  the  church,  and  opened  the  Gospel  to  the 
world?1  Well,  it  must  be  admitted  that  there  are  few, 
if  any,  buildings  now  standing  in  Palestine  which  were 
there  two  thousand  years  ago.  Yet  there  are  strong 
reasons  for  believing  that  this  stands  on  or  at 
least  very  near  the  original  site;  for  it  is  near  the  sea¬ 
shore;  it  is  outside  the  ancient  limit  of  the  city,  as  a 
tanner’s  house  would  be,  for  his  trade  made  him  cere¬ 
monially  “unclean,”  and  there  are  tokens  of  an  old 
tannery  close  at  hand.  We  are  quite  certain  also  that 
the  house  was  not  unlike  this  one,  for  in  this  changeless 
East  they  build  the  houses  just  as  they  did  twenty  or 
even  thirty  centuries  ago.  It  fronts  on  a  court,  not 
on  the  street,  and  the  windows  are  without  glass,  but 
there  is  never  any  severely  cold  weather  here  to  call  for 
special  safeguards.  Up  such  steps  as  these,  outside  the 
house,  not  inside  as  we  build  our  stairs,  Simon  Peter 
must  have  often  walked,  and  on  that  platform  above 
he  may  have  lain  down  to  sleep  once,  when  the  vision 
of  the  “great  sheet”  was  let  down  from  heaven  before 

1  Acts  x  :  9-20,  34-48. 


Positions  2,  3.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


27 


his  eyes.  You  and  I  have  an  interest  in  that  vision, 
for  it  changed  Peter  in  one  hour  from  a  narrow  Jew 
to  a  Christian  statesman,  embracing  the  whole  world 
in  his  plans.  But  for  that  vision,  we  should  not  be 
here  to-day,  for  that  voice  from  heaven  opened  to  us 
Gentiles  the  doors  of  the  Christian  church.  Well  may 
we  look  with  reverent  interest  upon  the  spot  where  that 
revelation  came. 

The  man  at  the  left  is  a  public  water  seller — 
the  contents  of  that  big  goatskin  bottle  will  cost  some 
housewife  a  cent  when  poured  into  her  jars  at  home. 
These  women,  while  industrious  and  kindly,  are  quite 
uneducated;  unless  some  mission  school  has  taught 
them,  they  do  not  know  how  to  read  or  write.  The 
native  sheiks5  schools  are  for  boys  only.  The  sandals 
worn  by  the  girl  at  the  right  are  cheap  articles  with 
wooden  soles  and  leather  thongs  costing  two  or  three 
cents  a  pair.  More  prosperous  women  wear  conven¬ 
tional  shoes  of  European  manufacture.  That  tree  with 
ragged  branches  is  a  fig-tree,  just  such  a  tree  as  our 
Saviour  passed  on  the  Mount  of  Olives  once,  when  he 
looked  for  fruit,  and  found  only  leaves.* 

We  should  expect  to  find  this  house  a  sacred  place  to 
all  Christians,  but  it  is  none  the  less  so  to  Mohamme¬ 
dans,  who  have  adopted  as  their  own  all  the  saints  and 
prophets  of  the  Bible.  Every  day  worshippers  may 
be  seen  prostrating  themselves  on  the  roof  of  the  tan¬ 
nery’s  house,  and  uttering  the  creed  of  Islam,  with  its 
mingled  truth  and  falsehood:  “There  is  no  God  but 
God,  and  Mohammed  is  his  prophet.55 

But  we  cannot  tarry  longer  in  Jaffa,  for  the  whole 
land  lies  before  us.  In  days  of  old,  they  wended  their 

*  Mark  xi :  12-14. 


Position  3.  Map  7. 


28  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

way  up  to  Mount  Zion  pilgrimwise,  with  scrip  and  staff ; 
or  as  crusading  knights  on  horse-back,  in  blazing  armor. 
In  our  day  it  has  become  possible  to  ride  up  to  Jerusa¬ 
lem  by  railway  train,  making  in  five  hours  the  journey 
which  once  required  two  days.  But  we  shall  travel 
more  quickly  still.  Let  us  consult  our  map  of  Pal¬ 
estine  (Map  7),  at  the  end  of  this  book,  and  note  the 
route  we  are  to  take.  Look  at  the  section  of  the  sea- 
coast  plain:  south  lies  Philistia,  and  north  is  Mt.  Car¬ 
mel,  while  just  before  us  is  the  Plain  of  Sharon.  We 
shall  pause  first  on  this  plain  at  the  point  where  you 
find  the  figure  4  in  red  on  the  general  map  of  Palestine. 
Observe  that  the  diverging  lines  show  you  are  to  face 
east  and  look  across  a  stream  toward  distant  hills. 

Position  4.  “  Roses  of  Sharon,”  on  the  Plain 
of  Sharon 

Notice  how  the  ground  rises  in  the  distance:  that  is 
the  Shephelah,  the  foot-hills  of  the  mountains  which 
will  soon  loom  up  before  us,  and  through  which  the 
road  winds  on  its  way  to  Jerusalem.  This  rise  of 
ground  on  which  we  are  standing  and  the  one  beyond 
the  slight  depression  before  us  are  the  land  rolls  which 
characterize  this  Plain  of  Sharon.  These  scattered 
trees  are  olives,  evidently  neglected.  Government  taxes 
hereabouts  are  so  high  that  in  many  places  it  hardly 
pays  to  cultivate  the  soil,  so  small  a  return  comes  to  the 
farmer,  but  these  trees  will  keep  on  bearing  more  or 
less  fruit  as  long  as  there  is  any  life  in  their  old  trunks. 
Orchards  of  such  trees  can  be  seen  farther  away.  Most 
of  this  plain  is  very  rich,  and  gives  abundant  crops; 
but  just  here  a  spot  has  become  one  mass  of  flowers. 
Children  gather  flowers  like  these  and  offer  bunches  of 
them  at  the  railway  stations  to  passengers  on  the  trains 


Position  4.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


29 


going  from  Jaffa  up  to  Jerusalem.  (Lydda  is  the 
station  nearest  here.)  Whoever  visits  Palestine  in  the 
spring,  sees  everywhere  in  the  valleys,  on  the  plains,  and 
wherever  there  is  any  soil,  illimitable  landscapes  of  wild 
flowers,  brilliant  in  hue,  and  of  almost  every  color. 
Can  you  recall  what  Solomon  sang,1  and  what  a  greater 
than  Solomon  said3  about  the  flowers  of  this  land? 

Those  shadowy  hills,  yonder — it  is  difficult  to  realize 
what  has  taken  place  upon  them.  Those  slopes  were 
for  hundreds  of  years,  from  Joshua  to  David,  the  field 
of  warfare  between  Israel  and  the  older  races.  Hot  far 
away  was  fought  the  greatest  battle  of  all  human  his¬ 
tory,  the  battle  of  Beth-horon8 — greatest,  not  in  the 
number  of  warriors,  nor  in  the  extent  of  empire  at 
stake,  but  incomparably  greatest  in  its  far-reaching  re¬ 
sults  to  the  world.  On  that  day  the  fate  of  the  world’s 
religion  was  settled.  If  the  Canaanites  had  triumphed, 
and  Joshua  had  fallen,  we  cannot  see  how  there  could 
have  been  in  the  centuries  to  come  any  history  of  Israel, 
any  Psalms  of  David,  or  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  any  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  or  Gospel  for  the  world!  If  ever  in  all 
earthly  annals  there  was  one  day  when  the  sun  and 
moon  might  well  stand  still  until  the  mighty  victory 
was  won,  that  was  the  day.4  The  five  allied  tribes  of 
the  Canaanites  were  routed,  their  kings  were  slain;  and 
on  the  map  you  may  trace  the  sweep  of  Joshua’s  swift 
march  around  southern  Palestine,  through  Ajalon,  Lib- 
nah,  Lachish,  and  Hebron,  to  gather  up  the  fruits  of  his 
victory/  This  was  the  second  of  Joshua’s  campaigns. 
His  first  we  shall  notice  when  we  come  to  Shechem;  his 
third  was  in  the  north  over  the  tribes  around  Lake 
Merom/  Yet  it  was,  after  all,  only  a  partial  conquest. 

1  Song  of  Solomon  li :  1.  *  Joshua  x  :  12-14. 

*  Matt.  rl :  28-29.  6  Joshua  x :  16-43. 

•  Joshua  x :  1-11.  9  Joshua  xi :  1-8. 


Poaltlon  4.  Map  7, 


30  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

The  native  races  long  remained  as  “thorns  in  the  side” 
of  Israel,  to  threaten  them  in  war  and  to  corrupt  them 
in  peace.7  David  was  the  first  ruler  of  the  Israelite 
race  to  hold  an  undisputed  authority  over  all  this  land. 

We  are  standing  here  in  what  has  been  one  of  the 
greatest  highways  of  the  world.  This  rolling  plain 
stretching  back  of  us  to  Jaffa  and  before  us  to  those 
distant  hills,  the  Shephelah,  has  been  from  time  imme¬ 
morial  the  main  thoroughfare  between  two  continents, 
Asia  and  Africa.  The  old  caravan  route  out  of  Egypt 
forks  some  distance  south,  one  branch  running  back  of 
us  through  Jaffa,  keeping  generally  near  the  coast, 
while  the  other  and  principal  branch  passes  near  us. 
Lydda  is  one  of  the  towns  along  this  famous  inland 
caravan  route,  about  an  hour’s  drive  from  Jaffa.  We 
shall  go  there  now.  Notice  its  location  on  our  general 
map  of  Palestine  and  observe  that  we  are  to  be  facing 
west. 

Position  5.  Lydda,  the  Old  Testament  “Lod” 

This  is  a  typical  Mohammedan  town;  and,  for  such 
a  town,  it  is  busy  and  prosperous.  It  was  at  one  time 
a  more  thriving  place  than  to-day.  That  was  when 
most  all  of  the  trade  between  Asia  and  Africa  passed 
by  here  on  the  inland  caravan  route,  but,  as  the  Medi¬ 
terranean  has  been  free  from  pirates  in  modern  times, 
more  and  more  of  the  trade  follows  the  sea  route,  con¬ 
sequently  Lydda  has  suffered  the  loss  of  much  of  its 
business.  Though  so  different  from  our  Western  ideas 
of  what  a  town  ought  to  be,  still,  with  the  bright  sun¬ 
light  on  its  curious  houses  and  scattered  palm-trees,  it 
has  an  attractive,  quaint,  picturesque,  even  a  beautiful 
appearance.  A  large  part  of  the  town,  including  a  fine 

7  Judges  i :  27-36  ;  Judges  ii :  3. 


Positions  4,  5.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


31 


hospital  and  mission  school,  lies  farther  to  the  left 
(south).  Careful  observation  of  the  details  of  this 
place  before  us  is  fascinating,  but  it  does  not  add  to 
our  sense  of  its  beauty.  Stability  is  the  main  charac¬ 
teristic  of  these  structures,  and,  surely,  they  must  have 
been  built  according  to  the  Eastern  idea — that  houses 
are  to  be  lived  in,  not  looked  at  from  without.  If  you 
care  to  stay  here  you  can  hire  one  of  these  houses  for 
less  than  ten  dollars  a  year.  Most  of  the  people  own 
their  houses  and  get  their  living  by  cultivating  small 
fields  just  outside  the  town.  The  men  eat  an  early 
breakfast  of  cheese,  bread  and  cucumbers,  and  spend  the 
whole  day  in  the  fields,  returning  at  night  for  their  one 
substantial  meal  of  kid  or  lamb,  with  rice  and  other 
boiled  vegetables.  The  trees  you  see  among  the  houses 
are  date  palms,  and  their  fruit  also  helps  feed  the 
Lydda  householders. 

We  wonder  whether  the  man  near  us  is  the  owner  of 
some  of  these  dwellings.  His  hands,  with  finger-ring, 
and  cigarette,  do  not  seem  to  indicate  that  he  is  of  the 
laboring  class.  The  few  shop-keepers  here  in  Lydda 
buy  at  wholesale  in  Jaffa  and  sell  to  their  neighbors. 

Like  so  many  of  these  towns,  Lydda  has  a  past  out 
of  all  proportion  to  its  present  in  importance.  If  to  be 
venerable,  to  have  had  an  existence  for  thousands  of 
years,  entitles  a  place  to  respect,  then  we  should  look 
with  veneration  at  the  place  before  us.  Turn  in  the 
Bible  to  I.  Chronicles  viii :  12,  and  to  Ezra  ii :  33,  and 
Nehemiah  xi:  35.  It  appears  that  this  town  of  Lod, 
as  it  was  then  called,  was  built  by  the  Benjaminites  be¬ 
fore  the  exile,  although  beyond  their  territorial  limits, 
and  again  inhabited  by  them  after  the  exile.  What  a 
new  interest  we  have  in  those  few  words  in  those  old 
books  of  the  Bible  now!  They  are  no  longer  mere 


Position  5.  Map  7. 


32  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

words — they  take  us  back  to  living  realities,  the  boys 
of  Elpaal,  Eber  and  Misham  and  Shamed,  planning  and 
working  right  here,  and  also  to  the  great  home-coming 
that  Ezra  speaks  of,  to  this  and  many  other  nearby 
towns.  Hearts  were  happy  then,  as  they  would  be  at 
home-comings  to-day.  We  can  easily  believe  that  more 
were  singing  than  the  two  hundred  men  and  women 
Ezra  mentions  in  ii:  65.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  what  they  were  singing. 

This  was  the  most  westerly  of  the  Jewish  settlements 
after  the  exile,  and  so  it  passed  through  many  stormy 
times  as  a  subject  for  treaty  or  war  between  the  Jews 
and  their  succeeding  enemies  on  the  seacoast  plain. 
During  the  Eoman  occupation  of  Palestine  this  was 
the  centre  of  Jewish  feeling,  and  after  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  many  religious  leaders  of  Judaism  sought 
refuge  here  and  made  Lydda  something  of  a  city  of 
Rabbinical  learning.  During  those  times  it  was  known 
as  Diospolis. 

We  are  particularly  interested  in  standing  here,  too, 
because  it  was  at  this  place  that  Peter  healed  iEneas. 
(Acts  ix:  32-34).  And  here,  soon  after,  the  two  men 
came  from  Jaffa  to  get  Peter,  that  he  might  go  to  Jaffa 
and  raise  Dorcas  to  life  again. 

But  the  chief  interest  of  this  place  to  thousands  is 
its  connection  with  St.  George,  a  patron  of  the  Syrian 
Church,  an  object  of  reverence  by  the  Mohammedans, 
and  the  patron  saint  of  the  great  English  nation. 
Some  claim  that  he  was  buried  here,  but,  at  any  rate, 
after  his  martyrdom,  his  ashes  were  brought  here.  Off 
at  the  left  you  see  a  minaret  and  the  church  which  has 
commemorated  his  name  for  centuries.  Destroyed  by 
Saladin,  rebuilt  by  the  Crusaders,  it  has  had  many  vary¬ 
ing  fortunes. 


Position  5.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


33 


We  must  move  on  now.  But  let  us  stop  just  outside 
the  town  and  look  at  some  Syrian  travelers  on  the  road 
toward  Jerusalem.  The  spot  where  we  meet  them  is 
marked  6  on  our  Palestine  map  (Map  7). 

Position  6.  Syrian  Travelers  near  Lydda 

How  much  of  the  past  of  this  land  is  called  up  by 
these  people  before  us — travelers  in  Palestine!  What 
moving  hosts  of  them  we  dimly  see  back  through  the 
centuries !  What  journeys  were  made !  And  in  spite 
of  all  the  years  that  have  elapsed  since,  how  many  we 
know  about  definitely!  Little  did  any  of  those  people 
realize  what  their  humble  movements  were  to  mean  to 
the  world — how  many  millions  were  to  turn  their  eyes 
and  their  thoughts  this  way,  to  follow  them.  The  re¬ 
sults  of  those  events  have  been  so  far-reaching  that  we 
find  it  difficult  not  to  treat  as  fiction  what  we  know  to 
be  actual  truth.  We  find  ourselves  thinking  on  those 
far-away  acts  and  men  as  though  they  were  not  as  real 
as  life  about  us  to-day.  But  Joseph  was  surely  carried 
a  captive  over  this  plain  by  a  company  of  Ishmaelites 
on  their  way  to  Egypt.  Probably  they  took  the  inland 
caravan  route  and  so  passed  not  far  from  this  spot. 
Clouds  floated  above  them  as  they  float  over  this  plain 
now.  Joseph  raised  his  eyes  to  look  at  palm  trees  as 
we  do  here.  Their  camels  left  foot-prints  on  a  road 
similar  to  this,  and  pressed  their  weight  on  the  earth 
beneath — the  very  earth,  undoubtedly,  that  remains 
here  to-day.  And  what  thousands  of  caravans  have  fol¬ 
lowed  that  one  over  this  plain !  And  what  armies  have 
gone  backward  and  forward  upon  it !  Thothmes, 
Rameses,  Sennacherib,  Cambyses,  Alexander,  Pompey, 
Titus,  Saladin,  Napoleon — all  passed  here,  with  their 
gorgeous  equipments  and  swarming  hosts.  What  spec- 


position  6.  Map  7. 


34  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

tacles  have  been  seen  here!  What  facts  for  the  imagi¬ 
nation  to  help  ns  to  conceive,  to  dwell  upon  and  draw 
lessons  from! 

But  these  Syrian  travelers  are  interesting  in  them¬ 
selves.  We  shall  have  a  definite  idea  in  mind  when  we 
think  of  Syrians  hereafter,  especially  of  Syrians  trav¬ 
eling.  Notice  this  is  a  family  conveyance,  and  it  seems 
to  be  a  fairly  satisfactory  one.  In  this  case  the  father 
leads  the  camel.  The  traditional  veils  hide  the 
women’s  faces.  The  children,  with  their  slippered  feet, 
might  easily  be  taken  for  American  or  English  children, 
though  they  have  a  very  different  life  before  them. 
The  training  of  the  little  girls,  unless  they  enter  some 
mission  school,  will  be  limited  to  cooking  and  sewing, 
as  a  preparation  for  marriage  at  the  age  of  twelve  or 
fourteen.  The  boys  have  probably  been  under  the  care 
of  some  sheik,  who  has  taught  them  to  read  and  write, 
and  they  know  whole  chapters  of  the  Koran  by  heart, 
but  the  books  of  the  western  world  are  to  them  utterly 
unknown.  They  suppose  that  the  empire  of  the  Sultan 
is  the  greatest,  richest  and  most  powerful  on  eaich! 

Have  you  noticed  the  cactus  hedge?  Such  hedges 
border  the  roads  hereabouts  for  miles.  The  fruit 
(which  grows  along  the  edge  of  the  leaf)  is  eaten,  and 
the  dried  leaves  are  used  for  household  fuel  in  this  land 
of  no  firewood.  The  little  building  with  the  metal  cres¬ 
cent  above  its  domed  roof  is  a  memorial  of  some  holy 
Mohammedan — not  his  tomb,  but  a  structure  commem¬ 
orative  of  some  of  his  movements  while  alive;  the  de¬ 
vout  visit  such  spots  to  say  their  prayers.  The  high 
wall  in  the  distance  at  the  left  protects  an  orange  grove 
or  garden  from  robbers.  The  trees  are  date  palms. 

Notice  on  the  map  that  we  are  to  push  on  now 


Position  6.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


35 


through  the  lower  hills  of  the  Shephelah  and  to  the 
edge  of  the  mountain  region.  There  the  ranges  are  no 
longer  grassy,  but  bare,  desolate  and  rent  asunder  by 
ravines.  About  twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem  we  shall 
visit  the  village  of  Emmaus.  Find  on  the  general  map 
the  spot  marked  7 — that  is  where  we  are  next  to  stand. 
See  what  the  red  lines  promise — that  you  are  to  look 
southward  across  a  valley  toward  the  hills. 

Position  7.  The  Village  of  Amwas  (Emmaus) 

The  square  opening  set  around  with  stones  is  the 
mouth  of  a  spring  from  which  the  village  people  get 
supplies  for  drinking,  cooking  and  such  little  cleaning 
as  they  are  disposed  to  do.  Travelers  who  find  such 
village  houses  unbearably  dirty  sometimes  fail  to  realize 
what  a  toilsome  undertaking  it  would  be  to  carry  so  far 
all  the  water  necessary  for  thorough  house-cleaning — be¬ 
sides,  fuel  is  pitifully  scanty  and  can  ill  be  spared  for 
heating  water. 

Notice  how  carefully  the  women  shield  their  faces 
from  a  stranger’s  gaze — that  is  a  principle  of  good  man¬ 
ners  which  every  Mohammedan  girl  is  taught.  Bare 
feet  are  not  immodest,  but  the  face  must  be  shielded. 

Those  earthen  jars  are  of  local  manufacture  and  cost 
two  or  three  cents  apiece.  The  habit  of  carrying  such 
burdens  on  the  head  gives  even  the  poorest  woman  a 
beautiful  dignity  of  figure  and  carriage. 

Do  you  know  that  this  very  path  around  the  little 
hill,  where  these  women  are  walking  with  their  water- 
jars  freshly  filled  from  the  spring,  may  have  been 
trodden  by  the  torn  feet  of  our  Saviour,  on  that  glorious 
day  when  He  rose  from  the  dead?1  You  remember  that 
on  the  first  Easter  morning  two  disciples  walked  out  to 

1  Luke  xxiv  :  13-32. 


Portion  7.  Map  7. 


36  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Emmaus,  talking  sadly  of  the  terrible  facts  of  two  days 
before,  when  He  whom  they  loved  had  died  upon  the 
cross  and  been  laid  in  the  tomb.  Suddenly,  they  found 
a  stranger  by  their  side;  and  soon  were  telling  him  of 
their  sorrows.  Yon  remember  how  this  Unknown  One 
gently  rebuked  their  want  of  faith  and  unfolded  to  them 
the  revelation  of  the  Christ  in  the  Old  Testament,  gath¬ 
ering  from  every  ancient  writer  the  pictures  of  a  re¬ 
jected,  suffering,  dying,  rising,  conquering  Messiah; 
you  recall  how  in  the  narration  their  hearts  burned  and 
their  vision  widened.  How  sweep  away  from  the  land¬ 
scape  yonder  the  Amwas  of  to-day,  with  its  squalid  clay 
huts  and  its  poverty-stricken  inhabitants;  and  call  up 
the  Emmaus  of  twenty  centuries  ago,  when  these  slopes 
were  terraced  with  vineyards,  when  a  contented,  pros¬ 
perous  people  were  dwelling  in  stone  houses,  with 
domed  roofs,  when  the  white  front  of  a  synagogue  was 
rising  before  us.  Look  at  that  group  of  three,  with 
glowing  countenances,  as  they  enter  the  town  by  yonder 
path.  That  Stranger  is  about  to  leave  them,  but  no, 
they  are  urging  Him  to  turn  aside  and  tarry,  for  it  is 
almost  evening.  We  see  them  open  the  door  of  a  home, 
and  sit  down  to  the  evening  meal.  The  Unknown  takes 
the  bread  and  speaks  a  blessing — and  then  a  light 
flashes  upon  their  eyes !  They  see  their  Master  for  a 
moment,  and  a  moment  only,  as  He  vanishes  from  their 
sight.  That  is  the  one  event  which  gives  to  yonder 
village  a  thrilling  interest. 

It  must  be  said  that  modern  research  makes  the  iden¬ 
tification  of  this  Amwas  with  the  ancient  Emmaus 
doubtful,  although  tradition  points  to  this  place  and  to 
no  other  as  the  scene  of  the  risen  Saviour’s  appearance 
to  the  two  disciples. 


Position  7.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


37 


We  shall  now  turn  our  backs  on  Amwas,  and  a  little 
farther  along  on  onr  way  to  Jerusalem  stop,  as  onr  map 
shows,  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon.  Find  the  eighth  posi¬ 
tion  where  it  is  marked  with  figure  and  lines  in  red. 

Position  8.  Plowing  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon 

That  watch-tower  in  the  distance  is  one  of  seventeen 
built  in  1860,  at  intervals  of  one  and  one-half  miles, 
to  guard  the  route  to  Jerusalem.  They  are  now  with¬ 
out  garrisons.  This  slope  before  us  bounds  the  old 
valley  of  Ajalon  on  the  north.  Note  the  ancient  plows, 
with  single  handles,  and  crooked  sticks  for  beams,  to 
which  the  pole  is  attached  by  ropes  or  iron  bands,  the 
glossy-coated  oxen,  the  shoes  of  the  driver,  his  simple 
dress,  and  apparently  long-worn  turban,  and  at  our  feet 
some  of  the  soil  of  Palestine — a  definite,  actually  ex¬ 
isting  part  of  it.  We  can  know  the  individual  stones 
which  mark  this  spot,  and  how  many  they  are !  These 
farmers  could  not  afford  to  clear  the  ground  and  use 
modern  agricultural  machinery,  even  if  they  were  so 
inclined.  Taxes  eat  up  one-tenth  of  the  crop  and  there 
is  never  any  money  to  spend  on  improvements.  These 
peasants  move  with  oriental  slowness,  but  they  make 
a  long  day,  coming  out  here  from  their  village  homes 
at  sunrise.  About  noon  the  women  and  children  bring 
them  a  luncheon  of  bread  and  goat’s  milk  cheese, 
and  then  they  work  again  until  sunset.  A  hired  laborer 
would  receive  only  about  ten  cents  for  such  a  day’s 
work. 

What  a  privilege  that  we  have  eyes!  How  definite, 
how  perfect,  is  the  knowledge  we  gain  when  we  are  able 
to  see  things,  as  compared  with  what  we  gain  by  reading 
about  things!  Think  how  infinitely  exact,  how  satis¬ 
factory,  is  the  acquaintance  we  get  with  these  definite 


Position  8.  Map  7* 


38  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

parts  of  Palestine  by  means  of  onr  one  sense  of  sight, 
and  how  easily  we  obtain  it ;  and  then  think  how  vague 
and  uncertain,  in  comparison,  would  be  the  knowledge 
that  a  blind  man  could  obtain.  Knowledge  of  things 
gained  by  the  eyes  has  a  distinctness  and  completeness 
that  fully  justifies  the  strong  statement  that  “seeing  an 
object  is  worth  a  hundred  descriptions  of  it.”  If  we 
but  half  realized  the  facts  in  regard  to  this  matter  we 
would  use  our  eyes  far  less  carelessly ;  would  depend  less 
upon  trying  to  see  through  other  people’s  eyes,  and 
would  make  much  better  use  of  all  opportunities  for 
using  our  own. 

Ever  afterwards,  wherever  we  may  be,  when  we  have 
the  valley  of  Ajalon  brought  to  our  minds,  we  shall  feel 
a  very  close  relation  to  it,  because  we  know  this  one  part 
so  well — because  we  have  seen  it. 

Then,  what  we  see  here  has  a  far-reaching  significance 
for  us  in  other  respects.  The  men  the  Bible  tells  us 
about,  the  men  who  worked  on  this  slope,  who  lived 
throughout  Palestine  in  the  time  of  Joshua  and  David 
and  Christ,  are  not  alive  today.  But  their  ways  of  do¬ 
ing  things,  their  customs,  are  living  still.  We  read  in 
the  Bible  of  ox-goads  for  use  in  driving  oxen  in  the 
field,  and  we  come  to  this  valley  of  Ajalon,  and  see 
ox-goads  in  these  men’s  hands  to-day.  We  hear  in 
Luke  ix:  62,  Jesus  talking  about  a  man  putting  his 
hand,  not  his  hands,  to  the  plow,  and  we  see  a  man  here, 
putting  not  his  hands,  but  his  hand,  to  the  plow.  We 
can  now  realize  more  vividly,  too,  such  a  plowing  scene  as 
is  described  in  I.  Kings,  xix:  19,  when  Elijah  threw  his 
cloak  upon  Elisha.  Again  and  again  in  modern  Pal¬ 
estine  we  find  such  examples  of  the  life  in  those  old 
days  as  help  us  greatly  in  seeing  what  the  Bible  writers 
by  means  of  words  try  to  make  us  see.  Wherever  we 


Position  8.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


39 


go  in  this  land  to-day  we  find  verification  of  the  Bible 
narrative.  It  is  important  that  this  is  so.  The  man¬ 
ner  of  living  as  recorded  in  the  Bible  is  so  different 
from  that  of  to-day  in  most  parts  of  the  world  that 
some  might  thus  find  reason  or  excuse  to  question  its 
accuracy,  and  therefore  many  believe  that  it  was  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  Divine  purpose  that  this  has  been  such  a 
“changeless  land;”  that  so  much  of  the  old  manner  of 
life,  the  crude,  peculiar  customs  and  ceremonies,  have 
been  preserved  that  we  might  see  them  to-day;  that,  in 
other  words,  these  are  divine  object  lessons  intended  to 
help  us  wake  more  fully  to  the  truth  of  Bible  records 
and  the  reality  of  Bible  events. 

We  are  interested  in  this  slope,  also,  because  it  was 
over  this  valley  that  Joshua  commanded  the  moon  to 
stand  still,  and  across  it  he  pursued  the  Amorites  after 
the  battle  of  Beth-horon.1  This,  too,  is  the  route 
which  the  J ews  took  when  they  wished  to  repel 
the  invaders,  coming  down  from  J erusalem  and  flinging 
themselves  across  the  caravan  routes  on  the  plain. 

Ajalon  may  be  considered  as  a  gateway  to  the  moun¬ 
tain  region,  one  of  the  great  divisions  of  the  land,  as 
noted  in  the  geographical  outline  (page  211).  You  will 
see  on  our  general  map  the  location  of  Jerusalem,  the 
city  where  we  are  to  tarry  longest;  and  as  we  shall  have 
occasion  to  view  the  city  from  many  points,  let  us  look 
also  at  the  map  of  Jerusalem  (Map  1).  Follow  the 
city  wall  by  the  western  side,  close  to  the  Jaffa  Gate, 
and  you  can  locate  the  Tower  or  Castle  of  David. 
Notice  also  the  figure  9  in  front  of  the  Jaffa  Gate. 
There  we  are  to  stand  next,  by  the  side  of  old  Jerusa¬ 
lem  !  We  shall  be  looking  south  and  see  before  us  not 

1  Jos.  x :  12.  It  should  be  noted,  however,  that  in  the  Revised  Ver¬ 
sion  this  statement  is  printed  as  poetry,  and  not  as  prose.  Some 
commentators  regard  it  as  an  extract  from  an  ancient  song,  and  not 
as  history. 


Position  8.  Map. 7. 


40  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

only  the  tower  of  David,  but  the  wall  beyond  it  as  far 
as  the  south-western  corner  of  the  city.  Notice  that  the 
red  lines  diverging  from  standpoint  9  are  very  unequal 
in  length ;  at  the  left  a  short  line  ends  against  the  Tower 
of  David,  indicating  that  we  are  not  to  see  very  far  in 
that  direction,  but  at  the  right  the  other  red  line  ex¬ 
tends  three-quarters  of  a  mile  down  alongside  the  south¬ 
ern  highway  and  across  a  valley  to  the  Hill  of  Evil 
Counsel.  Now  see  the  facts  for  yourself. 

Position  9.  The  Tower  of  David,  from  outside 
the  city  wall,  Jerusalem 

There  it  stands  confronting  us,  grim,  and  dark,  and 
massive,  with  its  tall  watch-tower  rising  above  the  wall 
from  which  the  coming  foe  was  seen  afar.  We  know 
that  we  are  facing  south.  The  map  prepared  us  to  find 
that  high  wall  cutting  off  the  view  at  the  left  and  to 
discern  that  long,  dusty  road  leading  down  into  the 
valley  of  Hinnom.  The  height  beyond  the  road  must 
of  course  be  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel.  The  railway 
station,  where  trains  come  in  from  Jaffa,  fifty-three 
miles  away  at  the  west  (right),  is  ten  minutes’  distance 
down  that  road.  Meanwhile,  here  is  the  ancient  tower 
close  at  hand.  Do  you  notice  that  the  lower  courses  of 
stone  are  heavier,  rougher  and  evidently  more  ancient 
than  those  above?  If  we  could  look  more  minutely  at 
its  foundation  we  should  find  them  of  still  earlier  work¬ 
manship.  David,  when  crowned  king  of  all  the  Twelve 
Tribes,  found  a  fortress  here  in  the  hands  of  the  Jebu- 
sites,  who  had  held  their  own  through  four  centuries, 
right  in  the  midst  of  the  conquering  Israelites.  It  may 
not  have  been  as  lofty  and  well  built  as  this,  but  it  was 
protected  by  that  deep  ravine  at  its  foot;  and  the  Jebu- 
sites  had  such  confidence  in  the  strength  of  its  position 


Position  9.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


41 


that  they  taunted  David  by  placing  on  the  wall  “the 
blind  and  the  lame.”  But  David’s  men  climbed  up  yon¬ 
der  precipice,  led  by  the  brave  J oab,  who  was  the  first  to 
mount  the  parapet;  and  the  Jebusite  fortress  became 
David’s  castle  and  capitol.1  (Of  course  the  structure 
we  see  to-day  cannot  be  just  as  it  was  rebuilt  in  David’s 
time,  for  the  masonry  is  not  old  enough,  but  tradition 
has  long  identified  it  with  his  name). 

A  new  chapter  in  Israel’s  history  opens  with  David’s 
accession  here.  He  found  the  Twelve  Tribes  disorgan¬ 
ized  almost  to  anarchy,  ground  into  the  dust  by  foreign 
oppression,  their  Tabernacle  destroyed,  their  Ark  in 
hiding,  their  priesthood  wanderers.  David  united  the 
race  as  a  solid  nation,  turned  the  Philistines,  Ammon¬ 
ites,  Syrians  from  masters  into  subjects,  carried  the 
arms  of  Israel  up  to  the  Euphrates,  and  established  an 
empire  at  least  five  times  the  dimensions  of  the  Twelve 
Tribes,  and  twenty  times  the  territory  ruled  by  Saul. 
And — what  was  of  more  enduring  influence — he  reor¬ 
ganized  the  system  of  worship,  established  the  ark  in 
new  state,  and  mightily  strengthened  the  religious  life 
of  the  people.  All  these  achievements  of  David  rise  to 
our  thought  as  we  gaze  at  the  massive  walls  of  this  old 
castle. 

But  David  is  not  the  only  one  whom  these  grey  stones 
call  up  from  the  past.  This  fortress  was  strengthened 
by  David’s  successors,  thrown  down  by  Nebuchadnezzar, 
rebuilt  by  the  Maccabean  princes,  and  enlarged  by 
Herod  the  Great.  It  may  have  been  the  official  resi¬ 
dence  of  the  Roman  governor  in  the  time  of  Christ ;  the 
evidence  is  well  nigh  balanced  between  this  building  and 
the  tower  of  Antonia,  north  of  the  temple  enclosure.  It 
may  be  that  within  those  walls,  on  the  darkest  day  of 

1 II.  Samuel  v :  6-9.  I.  Chron.  xi :  1-7. 


Position  9.  Map  1. 


42  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

earths  history,  our  Saviour  stood  in  chains  before  Pon¬ 
tius  Pilate,  was  mocked  by  Roman  soldiers  and  scourged, 
and  sentenced  to  the  cross.2 

Over  this  very  road,  leading  up  to  the  city,  the  pil¬ 
grims  of  old  walked,  singing  “the  songs  of  the  ascents.” 
Can  you  not  almost  see  a  company  of  these  worshippers 
coming  up  the  hill,  and  as  they  look  across  the  ravine 
to  the  walls  and  the  castle,  hear  them  chant,  “Our  feet 
shall  stand  within  thy  gate,  0  Jerusalem  !  Jerusalem 
is  builded  as  a  city  that  is  compact  together ;  whither  the 
tribes  go  up,  the  tribes  of  the  Lord,  unto  the  testimony 
of  Israel,  to  give  thanks  unto  the  name  of  the  Lord.”* 

Notice  the  house  or  office  down  at  our  left.  Just  the 
other  side  of  this,  still  farther  to  the  left,  is  the  Jaffa 
Gate,  where  most  travelers  first  enter  the  city.  The 
carriages  you  see  here  now  have  brought  tourists  up 
from  the  railway  station,  and  are  waiting  to  take  others 
on  short  excursions  outside  the  city.  (Bethlehem,  for 
instance,  is  only  six  miles  away,  down  that  very  road 
which  you  see  at  this  moment.)  The  open  platform 
with  the  awning  is  a  cafe,  where  leisurely  citizens  spend 
much  time  smoking,  drinking  coffee  and  gossiping  over 
the  news  of  the  day. 

But  now  let  us  turn  and  look  toward  what  has  been 
waiting  at  our  left.  Look  again  at  the  map  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  and  you  will  find  our  next  position  marked  10.  It 
is  on  a  house  roof  at  the  west  side  of  this  same  open 
square  and  the  red  lines  say  that  we  are  to  look  straight 
east  to  the  barrier  of  the  old  city  wall. 

Position  io.  The  Jaffa  Gate,  from  outside 

Of  all  the  gates  now  open  in  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 

*  John  xviii :  28  ;  xix  :  16.  *  Psalm  cxxii ;  A  Song  of  degrees  ("ascents”). 


Positions  9,  10.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


43 


this  is  the  one  through  which  the  largest  tide  of  travel 
passes;  for  as  its  name  indicates,  it  is  the  terminus  of 
the  road  between  Jaffa  and  Jerusalem.  At  all  hours 
between  sunrise  and  sunset  continuous  streams  of  men 
and  women,  donkeys,  horses  and  camels,  are  going  in 
and  coming  out.  At  sunset  the  gate  is  shut,  and  who¬ 
ever  would  enter  afterward  must  pass  through  “the 
needle’s  eye/’1  a  small  portal  in  the  larger  one — as 
though  one  panel  in  a  door  were  fixed  on  hinges.  The 
East  and  West  jostle  each  other  in  this  motley  crowd, 
and  the  result  is  an  incongruous  mixture.  A  camel  can 
squeeze  through  the  gate,  but  a  carriage  cannot.  No¬ 
body  has  ever  seen  a  wheeled  vehicle  on  the  streets  inside 
the  wall  of  Jerusalem.  Yonder  awning  shelters  a 
shop,  one  of  a  row,  just  outside  the  gate,  and  the  best 
of  the  city,  which  is  dubious  praise.  Look  above  and 
beyond  the  gate,  and  you  see  again  the  frowning  walls  of 
David’s  Castle.  Inside  the  gate  the  street  turns  sharply 
from  south  to  east.  You  can  catch  just  a  glimpse  of  it 
beyond  the  inner  door.  Over  the  gate  is  a  guard-room, 
with  long,  narrow  openings  for  windows,  one  on  the 
west  side,  three  on  the  north  side.  In  just  such  a  room 
as  that,  in  the  “chamber  over  the  gate,”  at  another 
city  across  the  Jordan,  King  David  sat  once,  his  heart 
throbbing  with  anxiety  for  his  son  Absalom;2  while 
through  such  a  silt  as  that  the  watchman  peered  and  lis¬ 
tened  for  tidings  of  the  battle.  Try  to  people  this 
ancient  entrance  to  the  city  with  the  historic  figures  that 
have  passed  through  it.  Solomon  in  his  glory,  Isaiah 
with  his  eyes  fixed  afar  on  the  future,  Nehemiah  and 
his  retinue — all  may  have  gone  in  and  out  here.  Jesus 
and  the  twelve  apostles  must  have  often  passed  under 
that  arch.  When  Saul  of  Tarsus,  newly  converted,  but 

1  Luke  xviii :  25. 

*  II.  Samuel  xviii :  24-33.  - 

Position  10.  Map  1. 


44 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


not  yet  become  Paul,  was  hurried  out  of  the  city  by  the 
disciples,  it  was  through  this  gate,  most  likely,  that  he 
went  down  to  Csesarea;8  and  by  the  same  door  Peter 
started  forth  to  visit  the  churches  on  the  sea-shore  plain, 
to  raise  Dorcas  to  life  and  to  behold  his  vision  at  J oppa.4 

Every  visitor  to  Jerusalem,  whether  he  be  tourist  or 
pilgrim,  needs  first  of  all  to  obtain  a  few  general  views 
of  the  city  and  its  surroundings.  Let  us  open  our  map 
again  and  find  on  the  northern  side  of  the  city,  just  east 
of  the  Damascus  gate,  our  next  position  upon  the  tallest 
building  by  the  northern  wall.  Prom  that  roof  we  shall 
take  our  first  view  of  Jerusalem.  The  map  will  show 
that  the  Jerusalem  of  to-day  within  the  wall  is  divided 
into  four  sections,  each  inhabited  by  the  people  of  a 
different  religion.  The  Mohammedan  quarter  is  on  the 
northeast;  the  Christian  quarter — occupied  by  Greek 
and  Latin  (Roman  Catholic)  Christians — on  the  north¬ 
west;  the  Armenian  quarter  on  the  southwest,  and  the 
Jewish  on  the  southeast.  During  the  past  thirty  years 
a  “new  Jerusalem”  has  grown  up  outside  the  walls,  par¬ 
ticularly  on  the  northwest  and  the  north,  covering  more 
area  than  the  old  city  within  the  walls  and  including 
almost  as  large  a  number  of  people.  According  to  the 
latest  and  best  statistics,  the  entire  population,  within 
and  without  the  walls,  is  about  57,000,  divided  into 
42,000  Jews,  8,500  Christians  of  all  creeds — Greek, 
Latin,  Armenian,  Protestant — and  6,500  Moslems. 

Now  let  us  move  to  our  next  position,  indicated  on 
the  Jerusalem  map  (Map  1),  by  the  figure  11  in  red, 
near  the  Damascus  gate.  From  there  we  shall  look  in 
a  southwesterly  direction,  over  the  Christian  Quarter, 
which  the  map  shows  us  as  the  northwestern  section  of 
the  city. 


Position  10.  Map  1. 


■  Acts  ix :  26-30. 

4  Acts  ix :  32-43  ;  x :  9-16. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


45 


Position  ii.  Jerusalem,  the  “City  of  Zion” 

Not  much  like  our  bustling  American  cities,  with 
their  tall  buildings  and  wide  streets,  and  varied  archi¬ 
tecture,  is  it?  There  is  almost  a  melancholy  monot¬ 
ony  in  these  little  one-story  and  two-story  houses,  with 
their  bulging  domes.  As  for  streets,  there  are  absolutely 
none  in  sight ;  you  can  only  guess  at  their  location  from 
the  lines  of  dead  walls.  That  house  almost  under  us  is  a 
typical  Oriental  dwelling.  You  can  see  that  it  fronts 
upon  a  court,  that  it  has  a  platform  on  a  part  of  the 
roof,  and  that  it  has  a  “large  upper  room”* 1  under  the 
dome.  All  the  rain  that  falls  on  these  roofs  is  saved 
with  great  care  for  household  use — the  scarcity  of  water 
here  is  a  great  hindrance  to  cleanliness  and  healthful 
conditions  of  living.  Not  many  of  the  taller  buildings 
in  sight  are  specially  interesting.  That  on  the  right, 
with  a  pointed  tower,  is  the  Greek  convent;  that  on  the 
left,  with  a  large  dome  and  a  smaller  one,  is  the  church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  millions  of  the  Christian 
world  believe — although  scholars  disagree  about  it — 
covers  the  site  of  the  Cross  and  the  Tomb  of  Jesus 
Christ;  while  directly  beyond  the  large  dome  stands 
the  Tower  of  David.  Thus  we  see  the  Church  and  the 
Tower  almost  in  line  with  each  other,  just  what  the  map 
would  lead  us  to  expect  when  looking  from  this  position. 
The  Jaffa  gate,  before  which  we  stood  last,  must  be 
over  there,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  Tower. 

If  “the  Jerusalem  that  now  is”  were  the  only  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  you  would  not  now  be  gazing  upon  it  with  such 
interest.  You  look  back  through  the  centuries  and  see 
another  Jerusalem  that  stood  here — a  city  ‘^beautiful 
for  situation,  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth,  the  city  of 
the  Great  King.”2  You  see  Abraham,  father  of  the 


1  Mark  xiy :  15 ;  Acts  i :  13. 

1  Psalms  xlriil :  2. 


Position  11.  Map  1. 


46 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


faithful  and  friend  of  God,  giving  homage  to  Mel- 
chizedek  as  King,  and  paying  tithes  to  him  as  priest  of 
the  Most  High.8  You  see  Abraham’s  descendants  four 
hundred  years  later,  now  grown  to  a  mighty  host,  sweep¬ 
ing  past  this  city  in  their  swift  march  of  conquest.4 
You  see  David’s  palace  rising  yonder,  not  far  from  the 
spot  where  the  Tower  of  David  now  stands  behind  the 
Sepulchre  Church.8  Those  grey  hills  in  the  distance 
were  once  covered  with  the  tents  of  the  Assyrians,  when 
Sennacherib  sent  his  insulting  message,  and  the  prophet 
Isaiah  brought  back  Jehovah’s  answer.6  Chaldean  be¬ 
siegers,  Koman  armies,  medieval  knights — all  in  turn 
have  stormed  and  possessed  this  old  city.  These  are  the 
visions  that  sweep  before  us  as  we  look  over  this  wilder¬ 
ness  of  bulging  roofs.  The  Jerusalem  of  to-day  is  a  “lorn 
Syrian  town,”  but  the  Jerusalem  seen  by  the  inward 
eye  is  the  Holy  City,  the  center  of  the  world’s  interest, 
an  image  of  the  heavenly  city  that  hath  foundations, 
whose  builder  and  maker  is  God.7 

We  are  looking  in  a  southwesterly  direction  from  the 
northern  wall;  therefore,  as  the  map  shows,  around  to 
our  left,  beyond  our  range  of  vision,  is  the  Mount  of 
Olives!  We  must  look  in  that  direction  next.  Note 
again  the  Greek  Convent,  that  large  building,  with  the 
tall  spire,  farthest  to  our  right.  How  turn  your  eyes 
to  the  large  building  showing  on  the  skyline  a  little 
farther  to  the  left.  That  is  the  Casa  Huova,  or  Latin 
Hospice,  a  shelter  for  religious  pilgrims  of  certain 
sects.  It  offers  an  excellent  position  from  which  to 
view  the  city,  and  we  shall  stand  next  on  its  roof,  at 
the  south  side  of  the  tower,  and  look  across  the  city  to 
what  is  now  at  our  left,  i.  e.,  at  the  east.  Both  Map 

3  Genesis  xiv  :  17-20.  5  II.  Sam.  v  :  9-12. 

4  Joshua  x  :  1-10  ;  16-25  ;  Judges  i :  8.  8  Isa.  xxxvi :  1 ;  xxxvii :  21-35. 
-  7  Heb.  xi :  10. 


Position  11.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


47 


1  and  Map  2  mark  the  spot  with  a  12  in  red,  and  yon  will 
find  the  red  lines  diverging  from  it  reach  far  out  be¬ 
yond  the  city  walls,  ending  against  the  heights  at  the 
east.  Be  sure  to  consult  both  maps  here. 

Position  12.  Jerusalem  and  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  east  from  the  Latin  Hospice 

Yonder,  rising  outside  the  city  walls,  to  the  east,  is 
the  Mount  of  Olives,  crowned  by  the  pointed  tower  of 
a  Greek  church.  And  how  plainly  we  can  trace  those 
three  paths  climbing  the  hill!  By  one  of  those,  cer¬ 
tainly — more  likely  by  all  of  them  at  different  times — 
your  Saviour  and  mine  walked  over  the  Mount  of 
Olives  to  Bethany,  which  lies  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain.  Now  the  hillside  is  bleak  and  bare,  with 
comparatively  few  trees.  It  is  green  only  in  the 
spring;  after  a  few  months  the  grass  dries  up  and  only 
the  grayish  olive  foliage  is  left  to  give  an  effect  of  ver¬ 
dure  and  life.  Then  it  was  a  succession  of  terraces 
completely  covered  with  vines  and  olives.  We  might 
gaze  upon  it  for  hours,  but  we  are  to  go  nearer  to  it, 
and  even  to  stand  upon  it  later. 

Now  let  us  look  at  the  city  below  us.  How  different 
this  view  is  from  our  last!  Are  we  really  looking  at 
the  same  city?  Yes,  for  there  on  the  left  is  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  we  saw  before. 
But  what  has  become  of  all  those  queer  little  domes  on 
the  houses?  Here  the  roofs  are  all  tiled  and  somewhat 
pointed.  No,  as  we  look  more  closely,  across  the  city, 
we  see  quite  a  mass  of  those  small  domes  around  that 
large  domed  building  to  the  right  of  the  center.  That 
is  the  Dome  of  the  Rock,  which  almost  everybody  calls 
wrongly  “The  Mosque  of  Omar.”  We  will  begin  by 
giving  it  its  proper  name.  Those  little  houses  around 

Position  12.  Maps  1,  2. 


48 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


it,  which  we  are  to  visit  later,  are  in  the  Moslem  or 
Mohammedan  Quarter;  these  near  at  hand  are  the  best 
in  the  Christian  Quarter.  Most  of  them  are  tiled,  but 
a  few  are  shingled,  and  one  of  them  has  a  wooden  shed 
on  the  roof,  you  notice.  The  smoke  from  household 
fires  usually  makes  its  exit  by  a  window  or  door — you 
do  not  see  many  chimneys.  Household  refuse  is  thrown 
out  into  the  streets  and  the  streets  are  all  cleaned  so 
seldom  their  condition  becomes  wretchedly  unsanitary. 
One  reason  for  the  neglect  is  the  difficulty  of  securing 
proper  supplies  of  water  for  scrubbing  and  flushing 
pavements. 

That  low,  square  tower  at  the  right  of  the  Sepulchre 
Church  dome  is  the  bell-tower  of  the  church.  Farther 
to  the  right,  you  notice  a  new  pointed  tower,  with 
round-arched  window  openings — that  belongs  to  the 
Church  of  St.  John,  the  headquarters  of  the  Knights 
of  St.  John  in  the  crusading  ages.  It  now  belongs  to 
the  German  Government,  and,  recently  restored,  was 
dedicated  during  the  visit  of  Emperor  William  II.,  in 
1898. 

How  plainly  we  can  see  the  upper  courts  of  the 
houses  near  at  hand  and  the  stone  stairways  leading  up 
to  them!  But  for  these,  the  women  in  those  houses 
would  have  no  out-of-doors,  no  fresh  air,  and  no  sun¬ 
shine,  for  they  are  rarely  seen  upon  the  street.  There 
are  thousands  of  women  in  Oriental  cities  who  never 
pass  outside  the  doors  of  their  houses  from  their  mar¬ 
riage  to  their  death!  You  notice  that  around  every 
breathing-place  on  the  roof  there  is  a  battlement  for  the 
safety  of  those  who  frequent  it,  just  as  was  commanded 
in  the  ancient  law.1  Do  you  observe  those  small,  round 
openings  in  the  wall  just  below  at  the  right,  and  in 

1  Deuteronomy  xxil :  8. 

Position  12.  Maps  1, 2. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


49 


other  walls  farther  away?  Those  are  constructed  to 
allow  the  women  to  look  out  and  see  a  bit  of  what  is 
going  on  around  them  without  being  seen  by  others. 

We  must  have  our  map  of  Jerusalem  constantly  be¬ 
fore  us  if  we  are  to  keep  our  bearings,  and  recognize  the 
localities.  Turn  to  it  again  (Map  1).  We  have  seen 
the  city  from  the  north  and  west.  Now  let  us  trace 
the  western  wall  southward,  pass  the  Jaffa  Gate,  and  the 
Tower  of  David  near  it,  which  we  have  seen  alread]r,  and 
descend  the  Valley  of  Hinnom,  which  the  map  shows 
curving  around  the  southwestern  corner  of  the  city. 
Two  ancient  reservoirs  are  situated  in  the  valley,  the 
Upper  Pool  of  Gihon  and  the  Lower  Pool  of  Gihon. 
We  are  to  go  to  the  point  indicated  on  the  map  by  the 
figure  13  and  look  in  a  southerly  direction,  into  the 
latter  of  these  pools. 

Position  13.  Cattle  Market  day  in  the  Lower 
Pool  of  Gihon 

You  can  see  what  makes  the  reservoir— that  strong 
dam  built  across  the  gorge.  It  was  probably  built  by 
Teutonic  crusaders  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  we  are 
told  that  it  was  restored  by  the  Sultan  Soliman  the 
Magnificent  about  1640.  If  it  were  repaired,  and  con¬ 
nected  with  a  source  of  supply,  it  would  contain  almost 
water  enough  for  the  entire  city,  but  like  everything 
else  under  the  Turkish  rule  it  is  left  in  ruins.  You  see 
a  little  water  in  front  of  the  dam :  that  is  only  the  drain¬ 
age  of  the  valley.  By  the  way,  you  will  ask  where  the 
Jerusalemites  of  to-day,  a  population  approaching  sixty 
thousand,  obtain  their  water?  Almost  exclusively  from 
the  rain  on  the  house-roofs,  which  is  carefully  garnered 
in  cisterns,  though  not  the  slightest  care  is  taken  by  the 


Positional  12, 13.  Alap  1. 


50  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

native  inhabitants  to  keep  it  from  contamination. 
Wise  visitors  drink  no  water  in  Jerusalem  unless  it  has 
been  boiled  and  filtered.  A  dry  season  makes  water 
very  scarce  in  the  modern  city,  but  in  all  the  stories 
of  ancient  sieges  there  is  no  mention  of  water  lacking. 
That  is  because  there  were  underground  aqueducts 
bringing  an  abundant  supply  from  a  distance,  especially 
from  Solomon^  Pools  beyond  Bethlehem.  The  ancient 
aqueducts  might  serve  modern  Jerusalem  as  well  as  sim¬ 
ilar  ones  serve  modern  Rome.  It  would  not  be  very  ex¬ 
pensive  to  put  the  old  watercourses  in  thorough  repair, 
and  give  to  the  city  all  the  good  pure  water  that  it 
needs.  The  Baroness  Burdett-Coutts  offered  to  rebuild 
the  waterworks  out  of  her  own  wealth,  as  a  gift  to  the 
city,  but  the  Turkish  authorities  demanded  from  her  a 
heavy  price  for  the  privilege,  and  she  withdrew  her 
proposition.  All  the  use  made  of  this  pool  is  to  supply 
water  for  irrigating  the  gardens  on  the  hillside. 

You  notice  that  large  group  of  buildings  in  the  dis¬ 
tance  :  it  is  the  residence  of  the  Greek  Archimandrite  or 
chief  abbot  of  the  monasteries.  That  mountain  on 
which  it  stands  is  “The  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel."  You 
remember  that  it  receives  its  name  from  the  tradition 
that  on  its  brow  Judas  made  his  bargain  to  betray  his 
Master.  Opposite  to  that  hill  is,  of  course,  the  corner 
of  the  city  wall. 

What  is  going  on  here  in  the  valley,  bringing  together 
such  a  crowd  of  people?  They  are  holding  a  cattle - 
market  at  the  head  of  the  pool.  What  a  thoroughly 
Oriental  throng  it  is !  In  only  a  few  details,  if  at  all, 
does  this  crowd  differ  from  those  which  have  been  gath¬ 
ering  in  this  valley  for  centuries.  The  cattle  are  not 
very  well  treated — Oriental  people  seldom  exercise 
much  feeling  for  the  suffering  of  dumb  creatures. 


Position  13.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


51 


Christ  looked  upon  many  such  a  company  around  Jeru¬ 
salem;  and  hundreds  of  years  previous  animals  for  sac¬ 
rifice  were  bought  and  sold  here  for  the  Temple,  which 
was  located  not  more  than  a  half-mile  to  the  east  of  this 
valley. 

But  we  must  leave  and  pass  on  toward  the  southeast, 
to  the  northeastern  spur  of  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel. 
This,  as  you  see  on  the  map,  is  a  point  on  a  line  directly 
south  from  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city. 

Position  14.  The  Valley  of  Kedron  and  Village 
of  Siloam 

We  are  now  looking  up  the  Kedron  Valley.  Do  you 
see  again,  on  the  extreme  left,  a  bell-like  dome,  looming 
far  on  high?  That  is  the  Mosque  of  El  Aksa.  The 
wall  in  front  of  it  is  at  once  the  wall  of  the  city  and 
also  of  the  Temple  Enclosure,  at  its  southeastern  corner, 
where  it  rises  highest  above  the  valley.  Two  hillsides 
are  standing  prominently  before  us.  That  on  the  right 
is  the  southern  peak  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  called  the 
“Mount  of  Offence.”  Can  you  imagine  that  up  there, 
where  the  little  houses  now  cling  to  the  cliff  and  form 
the  village  of  Siloam,  is  the  spot  where  King  Solomon 
built  a  temple  of  idols,  right  in  full  view  of  the  Lord’s 
House  on  Mount  Moriah?1  No  wonder  that  it  bears 
to  the  end  of  time  the  name  “Mount  of  Offence,”  since 
such  abominable  rites  were  celebrated  upon  its  summit. 
The  hill  on  the  left  is  also  connected  with  Solomon’s 
story,  for  it  is  the  district  called  Ophel,  a  spur  of  Mount 
Moriah;  and  on  yonder  slope  Solomon  built  his  palace 
adjoining  the  Temple.2  Can  you  call  up  those  build¬ 
ings,  Solomon’s  “house  of  the  forest  of  Lebanon;”  his 

1  I.  Kings  xi :  1-13. 

*  J.  Kings  vii :  1-13  ;  I.  Kings  x :  4,  5.  - - 

Positions  13, 14.  Map  1. 


52  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Temple,  where  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  now  stands,  and 
his  idol  shrine — as  you  look  at  these  hills  on  either  side  ? 
And  the  valley  itself,  almost  at  our  feet,  is  the  very 
place  where  Solomon  was  crowned  king,*  by  his  father 
David’s  command;  for  this  is  the  point  where  the  two 
valleys,  Hinnom  from  which  we  have  come,  and  the 
Valley  of  Kedron,  meet,  as  you  will  find  them  on  the 
map,  one  being  on  the  southwest,  the  other  on  the  east 
of  the  city.  What  a  strange  character  was  Solomon — 
wisest  and  most  foolish  of  men — uttering  sagacious 
proverbs  and  living  a  life  of  lust  and  sin;  making  his 
city  and  his  empire  magnificent,  yet  laying  such  bur¬ 
dens  of  taxes  upon  his  people  as  to  drive  them  into 
revolution;4  building  the  house  of  God  and  rearing  a 
house  of  idols  in  sight  of  it.  His  reign  has  been  called 
“the  golden  age;”  we  might  rather  call  it  “the  gilded 
age”  of  Israel,  for  under  all  its  splendor  was  decay. 

But  Solomon’s  is  not  the  only  name  associated  with 
these  hills  and  valleys.  This  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel,  upon 
the  slope  of  which  we  are  standing,  contains  the  “Pot¬ 
ter’s  Field,”  bought  with  the  price  of  our  Redeemer’s 
blood.  It  is  said  that  on  this  hill  Judas  Iscariot  met 
the  emissaries  of  the  High  Priest,  and  made  the  dread¬ 
ful  compact  to  betray  his  Lord. 

How  look  as  far  as  you  can  up  the  valley,  just  in  the 
gorge,  between  Moriah  and  Olivet:  do  you  see  a  little 
pointed  dome?  That  is  the  so-called  “tomb  of  Absa¬ 
lom,”  in  the  King’s  Dale.8  Solomon,  Absalom,  Iscariot 
— these  are  the  three  persons  whom  these  ravines  bring 
to  mind ! 

Where  is  the  brook  Kedron,  which  our  map  indicates 
as  winding  down  the  valley?  It  flows  on  the  surface 
only  for  a  week  or  two  after  the  spring  rains;  for  the 

*  I.  Kings  i :  32-40.  4  I.  Kings  xii :  3,  4. 

5 II.  Sam.  xviii :  13, 


Position  14.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


53 


rest  of  the  year  it  percolates  unseen  far  under  the 
ground,  and  finds  a  channel  to  the  Dead  Sea,  twenty 
miles  way.  The  trees  we  see  are  olives  and  figs. 

Soon  we  are  to  climb  up  that  path  yonder  to  the 
southeastern  corner  of  the  city  wall,  and  look  northeast 
across  the  valley  of  Kedron,  or,  as  it  is  called  at  that 
place,  the  King’s  Dale.  First,  though,  there  is  one 
other  point  especially  in  the  scene  before  us  that  we  can¬ 
not  forget.  It  is  scarcely  distinguishable  down  on  our 
left,  half  way  to  the  Jerusalem  wall — the  Pool  of 
Siloam.  Consult  the  map  of  Jerusalem  and  you  will 
find  our  fifteenth  standpoint  marked  down  in  the  valley 
about  half  way  between  position  14  and  the  city  wall. 
It  is  just  a  little  farther  to  the  west  (left)  than  we 
could  see  from  position  14. 

Position  15.  The  Pool  of  Siloam 

I  wonder  if  that  path  where  the  woman  stands  is  the 
one  over  which  the  blind  man  felt  his  way  when  he  was 
sent  by  our  Lord  to  this  pool?  Do  you  suppose  that 
he  crept  down  those  rough  steps — a  dangerous  passage 
for  one  without  eyes?  You  remember  the  story  as  told 
by  St.  John,1  how  Jesus  mixed  up  mud,  with  his  fingers 
placed  a  patch  of  it  on  each  of  the  blind  man’s  eyes, 
and  then  said  to  him,  “Go  wash  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam.” 
How  pitiful  he  must  have  looked,  staff  in  hand,  picking 
his  path  through  the  streets  of  the  city!  “Here,  blind 
man,  let  me  wipe  off  those  spatters  of  dirt!”  “No; 
leave  them  alone,  the  Master  put  them  there,  and  I  am 
going  to  wash  them  off  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam.  Can 
you  show  me  the  way?”  That  was  his  cross,  his  con¬ 
fession  of  Christ,  a  confession  that  every  one  must  make 


1  John  ix :  1-7. 


Positions  14,  15.  Map  1. 


54  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

in  some  way,  if  he  would  be  saved.  Can  you  not  see 
him  slowly  walking  down  that  path,  tapping  with  his 
staff  the  rocks  on  either  side  as  he  goes  ?  Look  at  him 
clambering  down  those  steep  stone  steps !  Now  he  has 
reached  the  Pool.  See  him  dipping  up  the  water  with 
his  hands  and  washing  off  those  brown  earth  stains  from 
his  face!  Now  he  looks  up  with  a  startled,  amazed  ex¬ 
pression.  A  light  flashes  from  those  eyeballs,  no  longer 
white  as  of  old.  The  man  can  see !  How  strange 
the  new  sense  of  sight  must  have  seemed  to  him !  No 
doubt,  from  force  of  habit  he  shut  his  eyes,  over  and 
over  again,  and  felt  his  way  along  the  path  as  of  old. 

But  are  we  sure  that  this  is  the  place  where  this 
miracle  was  wrought?  There  is  scarcely  any  doubt  as 
to  the  place.  Prom  very  remote  ages,  this  has  been 
the  Pool  of  Siloam,  supplied  from  the  Virgin’s  Foun¬ 
tain  up  the  valley.  This  wall  which  now  surrounds 
it  was  built  three  centuries  ago  under  the  Sultan  Soli- 
man;  but  the  surroundings  in  ancient  times  were  not 
very  different  from  those  at  present,  except  that  then 
this  valley  was  more  cultivated  and  in  better  order ;  and 
in  those  days  the  water  was  fresh  and  clean,  as  it  is  not 
now. 

We  shall  next  follow  the  path  we  saw  when  on  the 
Hill  of  Evil  Counsel  to  a  point  close  to  the  southeast 
corner  of  the  city.  Find  our  proposed  position  at  point 
16  on  the  brow  of  Mount  Moriah  and  notice  what  the 
diverging  lines  tell  about  our  outlook.  We  are  to  face 
northeastward,  and  toward  the  right  we  shall  see  as 
far  as  the  slopes  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 


Position  15.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


55 


Position  16.  Tombs  of  the  Prophets  in  the 
King’s  Dale,  Valley  of  the  Kedron 

How  steep  the  side  of  Mount  Moriah  is  at  this  point ! 
It  is  almost  a  precipice  down  to  the  Kedron  Valley, 
whose  bed  is  out  of  sight  far  below.  Yon  recognize 
from  the  map  that  the  rocky  hillside  in  front  is  the 
Mount  of  Olives.  Those  white  stones  in  irregular  rows 
are  Jewish  tombs.  All  around  Jerusalem,  in  every 
direction,  are  vast  cemeteries,  where  innumerable  multi¬ 
tudes  lie  buried.  Jews  will  journey  to  Jerusalem  from 
every  land  of  earth,  and  will  pay  large  sums  for  burial 
places  in  this  valley;  for  they  believe  that  the  Resurrec¬ 
tion  will  begin  here,  and  those  who  rise  from  their 
graves  on  these  hillsides  will  have  a  sure  passport  to 
heaven.  Then,  too,  they  count  the  ground  all  the  more 
sacred  on  account  of  the  prophets  who  are,  as  they  be¬ 
lieve,  buried  among  their  own  graves.  You  see  three 
tombs  standing  prominently.  These  are  all  hewn  out 
of  the  native  rock,  just  as  it  lies.  That  on  the  right,  in 
a  recess  is  called  “the  tomb  of  Zacharias,”  and  commem¬ 
orates  the  prophet  who  was  slain  ‘^between  the  Temple 
and  the  Altar.”1  That  excavation  with  pillars  at  its 
door  is  “the  tomb  of  St.  James,”  the  Lord’s  brother3 
who  was  martyred  in  the  precincts  of  the  Temple,  about 
A.D.  68,  but  revered  alike  by  Jews  and  Christians. 
That  on  the  left  is  Absalom’s  tomb  or  pillar,*  which 
we  saw  awhile  ago  from  afar  down  the  valley.  The 
lower  part  of  this  is  one  stone,  hewn  out  in  situ ,  and 
hollowed  out  within:  the  conical  summit  is  composed 
of  blocks  joined  together.  Notice  how  the  bushes  have 
planted  themselves  in  the  crevices.  Can  you  see  that 
it  is  much  more  damaged  and  broken  than  the  tomb  of 
Zacharias?  That  is  because  every  Jew  who  passes  by 


1  Matt,  xxiii :  35. 

1  Galatians  i :  19  ;  James  i :  1. 
*  II.  Samuel  xviii :  18. 


Position  16.  Map  1. 


56  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

throws  a  stone  at  it,  to  testify  his  detestation  of  David’s 
ungrateful  son.  It  must  be  admitted  that  there  is  no 
reason  except  tradition  for  accepting  any  of  these 
names;  and  the  tradition  itself  is  not  more  than  a 
thousand  years  old. 

You  see  that  there  are  a  few  olive  trees  here  and 
there  on  the  rocky  slope;  less  than  two  thousand  years 
ago  our  Lord  and  His  apostles  saw  this  hill  terraced 
throughout  with  olive  orchards  and  vineyards.  Look 
closely,  and  you  can  trace  all  of  the  three  paths  leading 
over  the  Mount  of  Olives,  which  we  saw  before  when 
looking  from  the  Latin  Hospice  (Position  12).  That 
peculiar  marble  building  on  the  side  of  the  hill  looks 
out  of  place  in  this  old  land,  does  it  not?  It  is  a  Rus¬ 
sian  church,  as  one  may  suppose,  from  its  style  of  archi¬ 
tecture.  Up  the  path  on  the  left  of  that  church,  and 
over  the  depression  in  the  hill,  walked  King  David  once, 
in  sorrow,  flying  from  his  son  Absalom.4  And  over 
one  of  these  paths — we  know  not  which — David’s 
greater  descendant  walked  on  that  day  when  he  left  the 
Temple  forever;  and  from  yonder  hill-top  looked  upon 
Jerusalem  and  foretold  the  doom  gathering  over  it.5 


This  path  in  which  we  are  standing  follows  the 
eastern  wall  of  the  city  and  of  the  Temple.  Trace  it 
on  Map  1  along  the  wall  and  you  come  to  the  Golden 
Gate.  There  we  shall  stand  next,  and  look  directly 
east,  down  upon  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  and  beyond 
it  obtain  another  view  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  The 
spot  from  which  we  are  to  look  off  is  marked  17  and  you 
will  find  it  on  Map  2  as  well  as  on  the  map  of  Jeru¬ 
salem. 

*  II.  Samuel  xv  :  23,  30. 

6  Matt,  xxiv  :  1-3. 


Position  16.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


57 


Position  17.  The  Garden  of  Gethsemane  and 
the  Mount  of  Olives 

That  Russian  church  again  projects  itself  into  our 
view  on  the  hillside.  The  pointed  tower  on  the  hilltop 
is  the  same  one  that  we  saw  from  position  12 ;  the  other 
tower,  at  the  right  and  farther  away,  belongs  to  a  Mos¬ 
lem  building.  Look  at  those  little  domes,  poised  like 
Oriental  turbans  on  the  minarets!  Those  same  three 
roads  over  the  Mount  of  Olives,  here  they  are  again; 
that  on  the  left  is  the  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho, 
going  down  hill  all  the  way  after  it  has  climbed  yonder 
mountain.  That  is  the  path  by  which  the  man  jour¬ 
neyed  who  fell  among  thieves  in  the  wilderness  beyond,1 
and  by  which  David  went  sorrowfully  when  he  escaped 
from  Absalom.3  The  next  road  going  over  the  Mount, 
farther  to  the  right,  is  the  most  direct  though  the 
steepest  road  to  Bethany.  But  the  lower  road,  which 
runs  sharply  to  the  right,  may  be  the  one  over  which 
Christ  rode  when  he  entered  the  city  in  triumph  during 
the  week  of  the  Passion,  only  five  days  before  His 
crucifixion.*  Try  to  call  up  that  event,  for  it  certainly 
occurred  on  this  mountain  side,  when  palms  were  wav¬ 
ing  above,  garments  were  strewn  below,  and  the  hosan¬ 
nas  rent  the  air.  The  two-story  building  at  the  fork 
of  the  roads,  near  the  foot  of  the  hill,  at  the  left,  is  a 
private  house  built  and  owned  by  a  wealthy  Russian,  a 
member  of  the  Greek  church.  The  building  on  the 
brow  of  the  hill  at  the  left  also  belongs  to  a  Russian 
owner.  It  is  very  difficult  for  Christians  to  secure  titles 
to  real  estate  here,  but  wealth  and  political  influence 
together  sometimes  accomplish  it. 

How  look  at  that  inclosed  garden  where  the  three 
roads  unite,  where  tall  cypress  trees  rise,  and  a  few  olive 

1  Luke  x  :  30.  *  Matt,  xxi :  1-12. 

*  II.  Sam.  xv  :  23,  30.  - 

Position  17.  Maps  1,  2. 


58  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

trees  darken  the  further  corner.  That  is  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane,  where  only  four  days  after  the  hosannas 
rang,  our  Saviour  bowed  in  solitary  prayer.4  Perhaps 
my  sins  and  yours  added  to  the  weight  of  His  agony  in 
that  awful  hour !  These  aged  olive  trees  may  be  the 
descendants  of  those  whose  “little  gray  leaves”  rustled 
on  that  night,  as  if  in  sympathy  with  the  suffering 
Saviour.8  Even  though  there  is  a  possibility  of  doubt 
as  to  whether  those  enclosed  trees  stand  on  the  very 
place  where  He  suffered  alone  while  His  disciples  slept, 
still  we  know  that  that  place  cannot  be  more  than  a 
few  rods  from  where  those  trees  stand.  We  know  that 
it  was  down  in  this  valley  that  He  came  on  that  last 
night,  and  undoubtedly  to  this  very  part  of  it  just 
before  us.  It  will  do  us  good  to  come  and  stand  here 
many  times. 

While  standing  here,  the  city  is  immediately  hack  of 
us,  as  our  map  shows.  We  shall  cross  the  Kedron  Val¬ 
ley,  which  has  been  in  front  of  us,  climb  that  road 
which  leads  up  the  hill  just  behind  the  Russian  Church, 
and  then  go  out  into  the  fields,  on  the  left  of  the  road 
and  beyond  the  church.  From  position  18  on  that 
western  slope  of  Olivet  we  take  another  and  more  gen¬ 
eral  view  of  Jerusalem.  (Consult  both  Map  1  and 
Map  2.) 

Position  18.  Jerusalem,  the  City  of  the  Great 
King,  from  the  Mount  of  Olives 

There  is  the  Russian  Church  again,  with  its  seven 
domes ;  but  can  you  discern  the  cypresses  and  olive  trees 
in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemane,  down  in  the  valley,  upon 
the  right?  Across  the  valley  and  under  the  wall  do 

4  Matt,  xxvi :  36. 

‘  See  “  A  Ballad  of  the  Trees  and  the  Master,”  by  Sidney  Lanier. 


Positions  17,  18.  Maps  1,  2. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


59 


you  see  the  army  of  gravestones,  where  innumerable 
Moslems  lie  buried?  Do  you  notice  in  the  wall,  almost 
in  the  middle  of  our  range  of  vision,  an  elevation,  hav¬ 
ing  a  double  arch  under  it?  That  is  the  Golden  Gate, 
which  the  Turks  have  walled  up,  because  of  a  tradi¬ 
tion — which  they  fully  believe — that  through  this  gate 
a  conqueror,  not  of  their  faith,  shall  some  time  enter 
and  possess  the  city;  and  they  hope  to  postpone  the 
inevitable  day  as  long  as  possible.  You  find  another 
projection  in  the  wall  yonder  on  the  right,  a  part  of 
the  wall  which  flanks  St.  Stephen’s  Gate;  near  that  lies 
the  Pool  of  Bethesda,  where  a  cripple  was  cured  by  the 
Saviour.1  That  large  open  square  beyond  the  wall, 
directly  before  us,  occupies  the  place  of  the  Temple  En¬ 
closure — the  Mohammedans  call  it  now  “Haram  esh 
Sherif,”  the  Noble  Sanctuary.  That  square  is  the  most 
interesting  spot  in  all  the  city,  for  on  it  stands  the 
Dome  of  the  Eock,  that  large  octagonal  building  which 
you  see,  the  only  fine  specimen  of  architecture  in  all  this 
land,  but  to  us  especially  sacred  because  directly  under 
it  we  shall,  by  and  by,  look  on  the  native  rock  where 
stood  the  altar  in  Solomon’s  Temple.2  The  building 
has  been  generally  called  the  “Mosque  of  Omar,”  but 
wrongly,  for  it  was  not  built  by  the  Caliph  Omar,  and 
strictly  speaking  it  is  not  a  mosque.  Do  you  notice 
that  the  enclosure  is  much  longer  from  north  to  south 
than  it  is  from  east  to  west  ?  and  we  cannot  now  see  all 
the  southern  part  of  it,  as  our  map  will  show.  Notice 
also  that  the  platform  upon  which  the  so-called  mosque 
stands  is  much  higher  than  the  section  to  the  right  of 
it,  higher  even  than  the  wall  in  front  of  it.  You  see 
various  little  domed  structures  beside  the  larger  build¬ 
ing:  those  are  fountains  and  praying  places.  Now 

1  John  t  :  1-13. 

■  II.  Chron.  iii :  1.  - - 

Position  IS.  Maps  1,  2. 


60 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


look  in  the  extreme  right-hand  corner  of  the  Enclosure, 
find  a  tower  with  a  high  building  beside  it,  overlooking 
the  open  area.  That  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient 
Tower  of  Antonia,  north  of  the  Temple  hill.  To  that 
tower  Paul  was  taken  a  prisoner,  when  he  was  rescued 
from  a  murderous  mob  in  the  Court  of  the  Temple,' 
and  from  its  staircase  looking  down  upon  the  throng 
he  made  a  speech,  which  was  a  model  of  tact  as  well 
as  of  eloquence,  and  almost  captivated  his  hearers.4 
It  is  uncertain  whether  Pontius  Pilate  was  lodging  in 
this  building,  or  in  the  Tower  of  David,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  city,  on  that  day  when  Jesus  was  brought 
before  him  for  trial  and  sentence.'  This  location  and 
not  the  other  has  been  fixed  upon  by  tradition;  and 
hence  the  Via  Dolorosa,  “the  Sorrowful  Road”  to  the 
cross,  begins  just  on  the  other  side  of  this  building. 
You  see  in  the  city,  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  Dome  of 
the  Rock,  the  white  wall  and  dome  of  the  newly  re¬ 
stored  church  of  St.  John,  and  back  of  it  the  tower. 
You  see,  too,  a  little  farther  to  the  right,  the  tower  and 
dome  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Against 
the  horizon,  away  to  the  left,  you  can  see  the  Tower  of 
David  again  in  its  commanding  position.  Thus,  we 
are  looking  across  the  full  extent  of  the  city  from  east 
to  west. 

It  is  wise  to  think  about  distances  as  well  as  directions 
here,  noting  carefully  the  scale  of  feet  or  miles  on  our 
map,  and  then  supplementing  that  knowledge  by  our 
judgment  of  distance  or  magnitude  that  we  may  obtain 
by  our  eyes,  as  we  look  from  one  position  and  another. 
This  will  mean  for  many  who  have  not  traveled  in 
Palestine  a  surprising  modification  of  their  ideas  of  the 

*  Acts  xxi :  27-40. 


Position  18.  Maps  1,  2. 


4  Acts  xxii :  1-21. 

B  John  xviii :  28  ;  xix  :  16. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


61 


distance  between  places  and  tbe  sizes  of  places  in  Pales¬ 
tine,  and  will  be  a  considerable  factor  in  giving  a 
definite  knowledge  of  the  country. 

But  after  all  we  return  to  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  and 
the  platform  around  it.  How  much  of  sacred  history 
clusters  around  that  rocky  hill!  On  that  plateau,  per 
haps  on  the  very  rock  under  that  Dome,  Abraham  laid 
his  son  Isaac  upon  the  altar,  and  held  above  him  for 
one  awful  moment  the  glittering  sacrificial  knife.' 
There,  a  thousand  years  later,  was  AraunalTs  threshing 
floor,  which  David  bought  for  an  altar-place,  conse¬ 
crated  for  all  time  by  the  Temple  that  rose  in  front  of 
it.T  Before  that  altar  Solomon  stood,*  and  Hezekiah 
prayed,"  and  Isaiah  beheld  his  glorious  vision.* 7 * * 10  Fifty 
years  after  the  Temple  fell  under  the  fierce  warriors  of 
Nebuchadnezzar,  the  returning  exiles  scraped  away  the 
dust  and  ashes  from  those  rocks,  and  began  the  second 
Temple,11  less  splendid  than  the  first,  but  greater  in 
glory,  because  within  its  walls  appeared  the  Deliverer 
of  Israel,  the  Redeemer  of  the  world.13  The  view  be¬ 
fore  us  now  was  the  view  of  Jerusalem  when  Jesus 
wept  over  it  from  this  very  mountain;18  but  we  look 
upon  Jerusalem  in  her  fall,  and  He  looked  upon  her 
in  her  glory.  In  place  of  yonder  octagonal  building, 
in  your  thought  rear  the  lofty  towers  of  the  Temple, 
with  gilded  roof.  Above  yonder  wall  in  front  of  us, 
lift  up  Solomon’s  Porch,14  a  goodly  colonnade,  open 
to  the  breezes,  but  sheltered  from  the  sun;  open  that 
closed  Golden  Gate,  and  let  a  stream  of  worshippers 
be  seen  ascending  its  marble  staircase;  look  at  the 
cloud  of  smoke  arising  from  the  altar,  touched  with 


•  Genesis  xxii :  1-12. 

7  II.  Sam.  xxiv  :  15-25. 

•  II.  Chron.  vi :  12-13. 

•  II.  Kings  xix  :  1-15. 

10  Isa.  vi :  1-7, 


11  Ezra  iii :  1-3. 

12  Haggai  ii :  9. 

18  Luke  xix  :  41. 

14  John  x  :  23  ;  Acts  v  :  12. 


Position  18.  Maps  1,  2. 


62 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


silvery  incense — then  yon  may  have  some  conception 
of  the  view  that  rose  before  the  eyes  of  Christ  and 
His  apostles,  as  they  viewed  the  same  hill  that  we  are 
looking  upon. 

How  that  we  have  viewed  Jerusalem  from  the  north 
(Position  11),  from  the  west  (Position  12),  from  the 
southeast  (Position  14)  and  from  the  east  (Posi¬ 
tion  18),  let  us  enter  the  city  and  glance  at 
one  of  its  characteristic  street  scenes.  Again  turn 
to  the  Jerusalem  map  (Map  1),  and  find  our 
familiar  landmark,  the  Tower  of  David,  close  beside 
the  Jaffa  Gate.  From  this  gate  eastward  runs  David 
street,  and  out  of  David  street,  running  northward  past 
the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  is  Christian  street, 
up  which  we  are  to  look.  The  map  shows  the  exact 
spot  where  we  are  to  stand. 

Position  19.  Christian  Street,  Jerusalem 

Rather  narrow,  isn’t  it,  according  to  our  notion  of 
what  a  city  street  should  be  ?  But  in  our  cities  we  must 
provide  width  for  wagons  and  horses  to  pass  each 
other,  and,  as  we  have  said  before,  no  wheeled  vehicle 
ever  enters  the  gates  of  Jerusalem.  One  sees  donkeys 
and  camels  but  never  carriages  in  these  streets.  The 
pavement  looks  fairly  even,  and  decently  clean;  in  these 
respects  this  is  by  far  the  best  street  in  the  city.  Most 
of  the  alleys  and  lanes  of  Jerusalem  are  in  a  condition 
of  vileness  indescribable.  My  first  walk  through  this 
street  was  by  moonlight,  on  the  evening  of  my  arrival 
in  the  city.  We  stayed  at  a  hotel  fronting  on  the  Tower 
of  David,  and  at  about  eight  o’clock  in  the  evening  I 
walked  out  on  David  street  and  then  turned  the  corner 
of  this  Christian  street.  It  was  as  silent  as  a  grave- 


Positions  18,10.  Maps  1,  2. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


63 


yard ;  there  wasn’t  a  single  lamp  here,  and  all  the  shops 
were  shut  and  barred.  I  passed  but  two  men,  who 
might  have  been  night  watchmen,  though  they  looked 
like  robbers.  In  Oriental  cities,  no  one  goes  abroad  at 
night,  except  under  absolute  necessity. 

You  see  this  same  street  by  daylight,  and  find  it  alive 
with  people.  These  walls  on  either  side  are  plain  and 
gloomy,  and  the  windows  on  the  upper  stories  are  iron- 
bound,  you  see.  Those  upper  stories  are  private 
homes.  Everywhere  in  the  city  one  finds  arches  like 
these  swung  across  the  streets;  and  they  are  needed  as 
props  to  the  walls,  for  underneath,  the  foundations 
often  rest  on  the  ruins  of  earlier  buildings.  Those 
breaks  tell  of  cracks  that  have  opened  in  the  walls. 
On  the  ground  floors  little  shops  front  upon  the  street, 
and  their  wares  often  encroach  upon  the  roadway. 
That  key  hung  up  in  front,  and  the  clock  beyond  it,  tell 
the  passers  what  are  for  sale.  You  might  suppose  that 
these  shopkeepers  would  want  all  the  light  possible  in 
such  shaded  streets;  but  sunshine  is  never  welcome  to 
Orientals,  and  they  hang  curtains  and  awnings  over¬ 
head.  Glance  at  a  few  of  the  types  of  people  in  sight 
at  this  moment,  the  dress  of  the  women,  the  flowing 
robes  and  abbas  (overcoats)  of  the  men.  You  can  al¬ 
most  see  their  sandals  flap  as  they  walk,  yet  they  never 
slip  off  their  feet,  while  you  or  I  would  lose  them  every 
minute.  Every  male  subject  of  the  Sultan  wears  either 
a  turban  or  a  fez  cap,  because  he  must.  If  he  should 
put  on  a  "derby,”  it  would  be  clear  evidence  of  dis¬ 
loyalty,  if  not  of  absolute  treason,  and  might  bring 
him  to  jail. 

Through  a  street  not  unlike  this,  Jesus  was  walking 
one  day  when  He  saw  the  blind  man  begging.1  It  was 

1  John  lx  :  1-7. 


Position  10.  Map  1. 


64  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

certainly  not  very  far  from  here  that  He  mixed  a  little 
mud  from  the  street  soil,  placed  with  his  finger  a  patch 
of  it  on  each  eye  of  the  blind  man,  and  sent  him  to 
wash  in  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  down  in  the  Kedron  Valley. 
Can  you  not  imagine  the  blind  man  feeling  his  way 
through  these  same  crowded,  narrow  streets,  on  his 
errand  to  the  Pool?  It  was  on  such  a  street  as  this 
that  the  people  laid  their  sick,  after  the  scenes  of  the 
Day  of  Pentecost,  that  the  shadow  of  Peter  might  fall 
on  them.’  As  we  watch  this  Oriental  crowd,  we  should 
be  hardly  surprised  to  see  Paul  of  Tarsus,  just  arrived 
from  Damascus,  visiting  the  apostles  James  and  Peter, 
and  soon  to  start  for  Caesarea.* 

Do  you  notice  that  second  arch  yonder?  Just  be¬ 
yond  that  we  shall  turn  to  the  right  and  find  ourselves 
on  a  little  court  beside  an  ancient  building,  where 
throngs  of  people  are  passing  out  and  in.  We  shall 
not  look  up  at  its  walls  from  the  court,  but  stand  where 
we  can  obtain  a  good  view,  looking  down  from  the 
roof  of  a  Greek  monastery  opposite,  that  is,  from  the 
south. 

Position  20.  The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepul¬ 
chre 

There  is  one  tradition — perhaps  we  would  better  call 
it  a  legend — that  this  monastery,  from  which  we  are 
looking,  stands  on  the  spot  where  Abraham  offered  up 
Isaac,  a  thousand  years  before  the  Temple  was  built; 
but  we  do  not  need  to  believe  the  story. 

Now  take  a  good  look  at  this  mass  of  venerable  build¬ 
ings  opposite.  Nearest  to  us  is  the  bell-tower,  unfin¬ 
ished  since  the  great  fire  of  1808.  Behind  the  tower, 

*  Acts  r  :  15.  3  Acts  ix :  26-30 ;  Galatians  i :  18-19. 


Positions  19,  20.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


65 


on  the  left,  is  the  great  dome,  directly  under  which 
we  shall  later  see  the  Holy  Sepulchre  itself.  What  are 
all  these  crowds  of  people  doing  here,  filling  every  roof 
and  ledge,  and  thronging  the  court  below?  It  is  Holy 
Week,  and  the  Greek  Patriarch  is  making  a  visit  of 
state  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  We  shall  take  a  look  at 
him  and  his  attendants  shortly. 

You  know  what  gives  a  world-wide  interest  to  this 
old  church — yes,  more  than  an  interest,  the  deepest 
reverence  for  it.  It  is  the  belief  of  millions  that  on 
this  spot  was  Mount  Calvary  of  old,  where  the  three 
crosses  rose,  and  where  the  tomb  of  Jesus  was  hollowed 
out  of  the  rock.  They  show  the  exact  place  where  every 
event  of  that  awful  tragedy  took  place.  They  point 
out  all  the  sites  with  such  definiteness  and  such  con¬ 
fidence  that  the  thoughtful  visitor  can  scarcely  avoid 
a  feeling  of  disgust  with  regard  to  the  entire  building 
and  its  contents.  The  evidence  in  favor  of  this  loca¬ 
tion  is  principally  traditional  and  scholars  have  ex¬ 
posed  most  of  its  pretensions  a  hundred  times.  Yet  it 
was  to  rescue  this  building  from  the  rule  of  the  Mos¬ 
lems  that  the  crusades  were  fought  in  the  Middle  Ages. 
All  Europe  sent  forth  its  noblest  sons,  and  poured  out 
rivers  of  blood,  to  found  a  Christian  state  of  which 
this  church  was  to  be  the  center.  But  it  was  all  in 
vain ;  the  Crusader’s  kingdom  was  soon  swept  away,  and 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  remains  to  this  day  in  the  grasp 
of  the  Ottoman  Empire. 

If  we  were  standing  in  that  crowded  doorway,  down 
there,  we  should  see  on  the  left  of  the  entrance  a  little 
recess  where  a  detachment  of  Turkish  soldiers  is  always 
on  guard  over  the  building.  The  principal  business  of 
the  guard,  however,  is  not  to  maintain  the  Turkish  con¬ 
trol,  but  to  keep  order  among  the  hundred  thousand 


Position  20.  Map  1. 


66  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

pilgrims  of  varied  Christian  beliefs  and  from  every 
Christian  land,  who,  every  year,  visit  this  ancient 
church.  You  know,  this  is  one  of  the  only  two  build¬ 
ings  in  the  whole  world  where  Roman  Catholics,  Greek 
Christians,  Syrians,  Copts  and  Armenians — all  the 
great  churches  except  the  Protestants — worship  under 
one  roof.  The  other  “Union  Church”  we  shall  find 
at  Bethlehem,  over  the  cave  where  Jesus  was  born. 
But  in  neither  of  these  two  churches  is  there  Christian 
unity;  each  sect  or  division  of  Christianity  has  its 
own  chapel,  and  the  privileges  of  each  are  jealously 
guarded  around  the  Holy  Sepulchre  itself,  where  they 
perform  their  several  rites  in  turn  and  never  together. 

Close  by  that  door,  inside  the  church,  is  a  large  red 
stone,  called  “The  Stone  of  the  Anointing,”  where  they 
believe  that  the  body  of  Jesus  was  laid,  when  prepared 
for  the  tomb.  It  is  the  fashion  for  pilgrims  to  have 
their  own  shrouds  measured  and  laid  upon  this  stone, 
as  a  preparation  for  their  own  burial:  and  a  tailor  is 
at  hand,  there  in  the  church,  to  cut  off  the  grave-cloth 
and  make  the  shroud !  This  is  only  one  instance  of  the 
many  pious  frauds  and  superstitious  practices  that 
thrive  around  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre. 

Shall  we  enter  that  arched  doorway  with  the  crowd, 
and  find  our  way  to  the  rotunda  under  the  dome,  where 
stands  the  Holy  Sepulchre? 

Position  21.  The  Holy  Sepulchre 

Right  in  the  center  of  this  great  circular  room,  sixty- 
eight  feet  in  diameter,  rises  before  us  a  highly  decor¬ 
ated  but  rather  tawdry  edifice  of  marble.  You  notice 
in  front  of  it  some  gigantic  candlesticks  and  almost 
innumerable  lamps — the  gifts  of  worshippers.  Lamps 


Positions  20,  21.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


67 


hang  everywhere  around  the  rotunda.  There  is  a  row 
of  them  almost  over  onr  heads  in  front  of  us.  Those 
little  balconies  above  are  for  the  favored  few  on  Christ¬ 
mas  and  Easter,  when  the  whole  building  is  thronged 
by  a  disorderly  and  rather  dangerous  multitude  of 
worshippers.  Now  look  closely  into  the  open  portal  to 
the  shrine.  Perhaps  you  can  see  that  it  has  two  rooms, 
the  outer  one,  where  a  marble  table  or  altar  stands,  and 
a  dark  entrance  to  an  inner  room  beyond.  The  outer 
room  is  “The  Chapel  of  the  Angel,' ”  and  yonder  little 
altar  is  supposed  to  mark  the  spot  where  on  the  morn¬ 
ing  of  the  Saviour’s  resurrection  the  angel  stood  outside 
the  tomb  and  said  to  the  amazed  women,  “He  is  not 
here:  He  is  risen,  as  He  said.”1  Back  of  the  altar  you 
see  another  little  arched  portal.  That  leads  to  the  in¬ 
terior  of  the  tomb  itself;  and  there  on  the  right,  is  a 
recess  cut  in  the  rock,  where  the  worshippers  at  this 
shrine  believe  that  the  body  of  Jesus  lay  entombed  for 
three  days.2 

If  one  could  only  believe  all  these  statements  with 
unquestioning  faith  how  real  these  events  would  be¬ 
come!  Did  the  angel  stand  in  that  spot?  Was  the 
Saviour  buried  in  that  inner  chamber?  We  must  ad¬ 
mit  that  very  few  competent  scholars  have  accepted 
these  traditional  localities,  and  that  there  is  a  growing 
tendency  to  find  the  true  Calvary  elsewhere,  as  we  shall 
see  in  our  journey  around  the  city.  But  we  must  re¬ 
spect  the  reverent  faith  of  the  countless  millions  who 
for  fifteen  centuries  have  here  knelt  and  worshipped 
their  risen  Lord. 

There  are  between  thirty  and  forty  chapels  and 
rooms  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  but  we 


1  Matt,  xxviii :  2-6. 
*  John  xix :  41-42. 


Positiou  21.  Map  1. 


68  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

have  no  time  to  visit  them  all — and  indeed  few  of  them 
have  more  than  a  legendary  interest.  We  leave  the 
building  through  the  door  by  which  we  entered  it,  and 
we  happen  to  be  just  in  time  to  see  a  certain  famous 
procession. 

Position  22.  Easter  Procession  of  the  Greek 
Patriarch,  entering  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre 

There  walks  the  Patriarch  at  the  rear  of  the  proces¬ 
sion  of  dignitaries.  You  can  distinguish  him  by  his 
bell-shaped  tiara,  while  all  the  other  ecclesiastics  wear 
black  hats  with  the  crowns  almost  flat.  A  crosier  is 
borne  in  front  of  him  as  the  emblem  of  his  office.  No¬ 
tice  the  richly  embroidered  robes  and  wide  collars  of 
these  dignitaries.  On  either  side  of  the  Patriarch 
walks  an  attendant  holding  three  tapers.  Do  you  notice 
the  double  row  of  Turkish  soldiers  on  either  side,  wear¬ 
ing  the  inevitable  fez  cap?  These  are  the  guards  of 
the  procession,  keeping  the  crowd  away  from  the 
sacred  personages.  A  venerable  looking  ecclesiastic, 
with  gray  beard  and  spectacles,  is  looking  directly  at 
us.  Do  you  notice  that  many  in  the  procession  are 
carrying  candles?  I  wonder  what  are  the  thoughts  of 
those  Moslem  soldiers  who  stand  on  guard  to  protect 
these  Christians  from  each  other?  (Turkish  soldiers 
are  always  Mohammedans;  no  Syrian  Christian  is  ac¬ 
ceptable  for  military  service.)  More  than  one  riot  has 
taken  place  within  those  sacred  walls,  and  the  pavement 
around  the  Sepulchre  has  been  covered  with  blood  and 
heaped  with  dead  bodies  from  the  quarrels  of  the  so- 
called  Christian  sects. 

Now  let  us  turn  again  to  the  map  of  Jerusalem  (Map 


Position  22.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  69 

1)  and  find  the  Via  Dolorosa.  It  starts  at  St. 
Stephen’s  Gate,  just  north  of  the  Haram  Enclosure 
(Mount  Moriah),  and  near  the  traditional  Pool  of 
Bethesda  (Birket  Israil)  leads  westward,  though  with 
two  abrupt  turnings,  past  the  barracks  of  the  Turkish 
garrison,  which  are  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Tower 
of  Antonia,  and  ends  beside  this  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre. 

Position  23.  Pilgrims  on  the  Via  Dolorosa, 
the  route  to  Calvary 

Is  this  street,  thronged  with  pilgrims,  actually  “the 
Sorrowful  Street,”  the  Via  Dolorosa,  through  which 
our  Redeemer  walked,  bearing  His  cross?  Evidently 
those  worshippers  believe  it,  as  their  reverent  attitudes 
and  fervent  looks  attest.  Many  of  those  standing  here 
with  their  backs  toward  us  are  monks,  for  we  can  see 
the  round  shaven  spot  on  their  heads — the  tonsure. 
Those  hoods  and  veils  show  that  some  nuns  are  there 
too.  See  those  ladies  with  modern  bonnets,  on  the 
edge  of  the  circle;  are  they  pilgrims,  or  only  tourists, 
looking  on  in  mere  curiosity?  The  procession  has 
paused  for  a  service  at  one  of  the  “Stations  of  the 
Cross,”  the  spot  where  it  is  said  the  suffering  Saviour 
first  fainted  under  the  weight  of  the  cross.  Do  you 
notice  the  monk  who  is  conducting  the  service? 

But  is  this  the  real  “Street  of  Sorrows?”  Was  this 
the  route  through  which  the  Saviour  of  the  world 
walked,  a  doomed  man,  bearing  His  cross  from  the 
Gabbatha  to  the  Golgotha?  If  we  were  only  certain 
that  Pilate’s  judgment  hall  was  at  the  Tower  of  An¬ 
tonia,  and  that  Calvary  was  under  the  roof  of  Holy 
Sepulchre  Church,  then  this  might  indicate  the  gen¬ 
eral  route,  though  the  real  street  is  doubtless  from  thirty 


Position  23.  Map  1. 


70  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

to  fifty  feet  underground.  But  the  evidence  is  as 
strong  to  locate  Pilate’s  court-room  at  the  Tower  of 
David  (Position  9),  as  at  the  Tower  of  Antonia  (Posi¬ 
tion  18),  and  it  is  certainly  as  strong  to  place  Calvary  on 
the  north,  as  we  shall  see  it  later,  as  it  is  to  place  it  on 
the  west.  Damascus  street,  which  runs  north  across  the 
city,  is  just  as  likely  to  be  the  true  Via  Dolorosa  as 
is  this  where  the  pilgrims  are  worshipping.  But 
whether  the  location  be  right  or  wrong,  the  fact  is 
the  same,  and  that  mighty  fact  is  brought  before  us 
on  this  street  as  nowhere  else,  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
once  stood  in  this  city,  crowned  with  thorns;  that  some 
pavement  here  was  pressed  by  His  torn  feet;  that 
on  His  lacerated  back  rested  a  cross,  which  He  bore  for 
you  and  me.  That  picture  may  take  the  place  before 
our  minds  of  this  scene  upon  which  our  eyes  are  resting. 

There  stands  in  Jerusalem  one  church  which  we  are 
now  to  visit,  not  so  much  because  of  its  traditional 
memories,  as  because  of  its  beautiful  interior,  and  the 
tragic  history  of  the  sect  that  worships  there.  Follow 
down  Damascus  street  upon  the  map  to  the  Armenian 
Quarter  on  Mount  Zion,  and  find  the  convent  of  St. 
James.  Within  this  convent  we  shall  find  the  Arme¬ 
nian  church.  The  spot  where  we  are  to  stand  is 
marked  24. 

Position  24.  The  beautiful  church  of  the 
Armenian  Christians 

Yes,  this  is  beautiful,  not  with  the  beauty  of  classical 
lines  and  proportions  in  its  architecture,  but  with  that 
of  rich  and  abundant  decoration.  Look  at  the  carv¬ 
ings  on  the  walls,  and  the  crystal  chandeliers,  and  silver 
lamps  hanging  from  the  ceiling!  The  Armenians, 


Positions  23,  24.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


71 


though  oppressed  for  centuries,  are  nevertheless  the 
richest  people  in  this  city,  as  they  are  throughout  the 
Turkish  Empire,  for  they  have  almost  a  monopoly 
of  trade,  and  they  are  shrewd  in  business.  If  the 
Turks  rob  them,  they  cheat  the  Turks,  it  is  said.  And 
they  show  their  liberality,  as  well  as  their  taste,  in 
the  gifts  which  they  bestow  upon  their  church.  Notice 
the  pointed  black  hood  on  the  man  in  the  long  robe. 
That  is  the  characteristic  headgear  of  the  Armenian 
monks,  and  is  often  seen  in  this  part  of  the  city,  where 
the  Armenians  number  about  six  hundred  souls. 

This  church  is  dedicated  to  St.  James,  and  tradition 
says  that  it  stands  on  the  spot  where  he  was  slain.1 
It  brings  to  our  thought,  therefore,  that  early  day  in 
the  history  of  Christianity,2  when  the  Christian  church 
was  exclusively  Jewish,  when  Peter,  James  and  John 
were  its  three  recognized  leaders,  when  Solomon’s 
Porch  in  the  Temple  was  its  preaching  place,  and 
when  the  believers  were  wont  to  meet  in  “the  upper 
room”  on  Mount  Zion.  This  was  the  pentecostal  church, 
living  in  a  brief  golden  age  of  peace,  before  the  preach¬ 
ing  of  Stephen  and  the  vision  of  Peter  opened  the  door 
to  the  Gentiles;  and  before  the  persecution  begun  by 
Saul  of  Tarsus  scattered  the  little  company,  and  sent 
the  gospel  abroad  to  a  wider  field.  As  we  think  of  those 
early  days  of  the  Christian  Church,  and  read  of  what 
believers  had  to  suffer  for  the  faith,  the  martyrdoms 
in  Palestine,  the  slaughter  of  thousands  in  Rome,  we 
are  often  inclined  to  feel  that  no  such  cruel  brutishness 
would  be  possible  in  men  to-day.  But  the  horrible 
butchery  of  thousands  of  these  Armenians  reminds  us 
of  what  human  passion,  urged  on  by  religious  fanati¬ 
cism,  is  still  capable  of  doing. 


1  Acts  xii :  2. 
*  Acts  i  to  v. 


Position  24.  Map  1. 


72  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

From,  the  Armenian  Quarter  on  Mount  Zion,  turn  on 
the  map  to  the  Jewish  quarter  in  the  Tyropceon  Valley, 
the  most  wretched  section  in  the  city;  and  outside  the 
southwestern  wall  of  the  Haram  (Temple)  Enclosure, 
just  south  of  the  continuation  of  David  street,  you  find 
the  Jews’  Wailing  Place,  to  which  we  go  next. 

Position  25.  The  jews’  Wailing  Place,  the 
outer  wall  of  Solomon’s  Temple 

Look  first  of  all  at  the  great  stones  which  stand  in 
rows  to  form  the  western  wall  of  the  ancient  Temple 
Enclosure.  Do  you  notice  on  the  upper  row  that  most 
of  the  blocks  have  a  narrow  bevel,  or  smooth  border? 
You  can  trace  a  few  signs  of  the  same  beveled  edge  on 
ue  second  row  from  the  top,  and  even  on  some  of  the 
stones  still  lower,  but  scarcely  any  of  it  is  seen  on  the 
lowest  tiers.  That  beveled  border  is  the  sign  of  the 
very  earliest  Jewish  masonry.  It  may  have  worn  off 
the  lowest  tier,  or  those  may  have  been  rough  stones 
in  the  foundation.  We  are  looking,  then,  on  the  wall 
where  it  was  laid  by  the  Phoenician  builders  of  the  first 
Temple,  in  the  days  of  King  Solomon.  Not  many  of  the 
localities  in  Jerusalem  or  in  all  the  land  can  show  the 
workmanship  of  man  as  ancient  as  this  wall.  The  old 
Temple  enclosure  was  about  a  thousand  feet  square, 
divided  into  various  courts,  which  stood  one  inside  an¬ 
other,  all  open  to  the  sky,  and  the  innermost  court  of  the 
priests  surrounding  the  Holy  House  itself.  This  wall 
upon  which  we  now  look  was  the  exterior  wall  of  the 
Gentiles’  court,  on  the  western  side  near  the  south¬ 
western  corner. 

You  see  these  groups  of  Hebrews,  standing  up  close 
to  the  wall,  some  of  them  pressing  their  faces  against 
the  stones.  This  is  as  near  as  any  Jews  are  permitted 


Position  25.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


73 


to  approach  the  precincts  of  that  hill  toward  which  every 
Israelite  in  the  world  turns  when  he  worships,  and  even 
for  the  poor  privilege  of  praying  and  weeping  here  they 
were  compelled,  until  recently,  to  pay  a  heavy  price  to 
their  Moslem  masters.  If  any  Jew  should  attempt  to 
enter  the  Haram  Enclosure,  which  is  on  the  other  side  of 
this  wall,  he  might  be  slain  upon  the  spot.  On  certain 
days,  especially  on  Fridays  and  fast  days,  the  J ews  enter 
this  little  court  and  engage  in  a  solemn  service  of  wail¬ 
ing  over  the  destruction  of  their  Temple  and  the  suffer¬ 
ings  of  their  race.  Rich  and  poor,  men  and  women, 
old  and  young,  meet  here  together,  and  read  in  Hebrew 
the  litany  of  their  sorrow.  There  is  more  real  sadness 
in  the  hearts  in  these  people  who  come  here  than  we 
can  easily  imagine.  It  is  indeed  touching  to  think  of 
their  coming  here  again  and  again,  leaning  against 
this  old  weather-beaten  wall,  kissing  the  stone,  and 
agonizing,  lamenting  and  praying.  Men  and  women 
sit  here  for  hours  reading  their  worn  Hebrew  prayer- 
books.  The  women,  you  see,  wear  shawls  on  their  heads, 
instead  of  bonnets,  and  the  men  are  covered  by  their 
own  peculiar  head-dress,  or  fur  cap.  Of  the  57,000 
who  dwell  within  and  around  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
about  42,000  are  Jews.  Most  of  them  are  miserably 
poor,  for  there  are  few  sources  of  revenue  in  the  city; 
and  they  are  largely  dependent  for  support  upon  the 
Kalulca ,  or  contribution  of  pious  Jews  throughout  the 
world.  The  Jewish  population  would  be  larger  but  for 
the  strenuous  efforts  of  the  Turkish  government  to 
keep  the  J  ews  from  settling  in  the  land ;  and  even  those 
efforts  are  not  altogether  successful,  for  the  number 
of  Jews  is  constantly,  though  slowly,  increasing.  If 
Palestine  were  free  from  the  Turkish  rule,  the  land 
would  speedily  be  filled  with  Jews. 


Position  25.  Map  1. 


74  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Now  we  pass  out  through  that  little  doorway,  and 
again  find  David  street,  extending  from  the  Temple 
Enclosure  to  the  Jaffa  Gate.  You  will  see  on  the  map, 
about  midway,  this  street  crosses  Damascus  Gate  street, 
one  of  the  principal  thoroughfares  of  the  city.  We  will 
follow  that  street  to  its  terminus  at  the  Damascus  Gate, 
and  take  our  stand  once  more  on  the  northern  wall, 
east  of  the  Damascus  Gate,  the  same  point  from  which 
we  obtained  our  first  view  of  the  city  (Position  11)  . 
Then  we  looked  toward  the  southwest;  now  from  the 
same  point  we  shall  turn  our  eyes  northward,  over  the 
wall,  and  the  “New  Calvary”  will  be  before  us. 

Position  26.  The  “  New  Calvary,”  outside  the 
Damascus  Gate 

We  have  before  us  the  prospect  north  from  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  so  familiar  to  millions  of  eyes  through  the  long 
past.  But  look  for  a  moment  on  that  rounded  grassy 
knoll,  with  the  two  caverns  yawning  under  it,  and  then 
recall  those  lines  which  have  been  sung  so  often: 

“There  is  a  green  hill  far  away 
Without  a  city  wall, 

Where  the  dear  Lord  was  crucified, 

Who  died  to  save  us  all.” 

There  are  hints  which  point  to  this  place  as  the  hill 
of  Calvary  far  more  strongly  than  to  the  traditional 
Holy  Sepulchre.  We  know  that  Jesus  was  crucified  out¬ 
side  the  city and  this  has  always  been  without  the  wall, 
while  the  other  Calvary  may  have  been  enclosed  within 
it.  The  resemblance  of  that  elevation,  with  its  two  caves, 
to  a  human  skull,  with  its  two  eye-sockets,  might  have 
suggested  the  name  Golgotha — “skull-like.”2  Moreover, 

1  John  xix  :  20  ;  Hebrews  xiii :  12.  2  Luke  xxiii :  33  ;  John  xlx  :  17. 


Positions  25,  26.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


75 


we  know  the  cross  was  planted  in  a  public  place,  near 
to  the  city;3  and  this  is  beside  the  Damascus  road,  one 
of  the  most  frequented  in  all  the  land.  Then,  from 
early  Jewish  writings,  we  learn  that  this  hill,  north 
of  the  city,  was  given  up  to  the  execution  of  criminals, 
and  received  the  name,  “Place  of  Stoning.”  There  is 
another  remarkable  statement  made  about  this  hill ;  that 
it  is,  and  has  long  been,  especially  hateful  to  the  Jews 
of  the  city,  who  always  utter  a  curse  when  they  pass 
it,  though  they  cannot  tell  why.  Our  worthy  Christian 
guide  through  Palestine  told  us  that  this  is  without 
question  a  fact,  and  that  the  words  of  the  malediction 
when  translated  are  “Cursed  be  the  man  who  ruined  our 
nation  by  calling  himself  its  king.”  If  indeed  this  be 
“the  place  called  Calvary,”  then  it  is  the  center  of  the 
Christian  world. 

Picture  to  yourself  three  crosses  yonder,  with  One 
Innocent  in  the  centre ;  see  the  circle  of  J ewish  enemies 
and  Roman  soldiers  around  Him;  look  at  the  sorrow- 
smitten  mother,  the  sympathizing  women,  the  beloved 
disciple  standing  near;  see  the  gloom  gathering  over 
the  landscape,  and  hear  the  seven  mighty  words  sound¬ 
ing  out  from  the  lips  of  the  Crucified.  Can  you  make 
yourself  feel  that  it  was  all  real,  and  that  it  was  for  us 
He  hung  and  suffered  there? 

“What  Thou,  my  Lord,  hast  suffered, 

Was  all  for  sinner’s  gain: 

Mine,  mine  was  the  transgression, 

But  Thine  the  deadly  pain. 

Lo!  here  I  fall,  my  Saviour; 

’Tis  I  deserve  Thy  place; 

Look  on  me  with  Thy  favor, 

Vouchsafe  to  me  Thy  grace.” 


There  is  another  place  of  deep  interest  at  the  base  of 


*  Matt,  xxvii :  39 ;  Mark  xv  :  21,  22. 


Position  26.  Map  1. 


76 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


this  hill.  On  the  extreme  left,  do  you  see  a  garden 
enclosed  by  a  high  wall,  with  ragged  cliffs  along  its 
farther  side?  Near  the  bottom  of  that  part  of  the 
cliffs  is  the  entrance  to  a  tomb  discovered  by  General 
Gordon;  it  is  hollowed  out  of  the  rock,  as  are  many  of 
the  ancient  sepulchres  around  Jerusalem.  This  has  been 
named,  although  we  hesitate  to  accept  the  title,  "The 
Tomb  of  our  Lord.”  Let  us  go  and  look  into  it. 

Position  27.  "The  Tomb  of  our  Lord,”  "New 
Calvary” 

Who  are  these  two  people  in  white  garments  that 
have  seated  themselves  in  this  cave?  They  are  young 
Syrian  girls  from  the  English  Protestant  school,  dressed 
in  the  costumes  of  their  people;  and  they  simply  show 
us  how  two  people  might  have  appeared  in  such  a  tomb 
as  this,  "one  at  the  head  and  the  other  at  the  feet,  where 
the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain.”1  We  dare  not  say  that  this 
was  the  tomb  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  where  from  sun¬ 
set  on  Friday  until  early  in  the  morning  of  Sunday,  the 
form  of  the  Crucified  lay  wrapped  in  grave-clothes. 
But  we  can  say  that  this  tomb  is  found  where  once  has 
been  a  garden,  in  the  side  of  a  hill  that  may  be  Calvary  ;a 
that  it  belongs  to  the  Roman  period,  as  its  form  shows; 
that  it  was  hewn  out  of  the  rock;  that  but  one  burial 
place  was  completed  in  it,*  although  two  others  were  left 
unfinished;  and  that  the  receptacle  for  the  body  was 
such  that  two  people  could  be  seated  beside  it,  as  the 
women  found  the  two  angels  on  that  Easter  morning. 

Even  the  possibility  that  we  may  be  looking  upon 
the  rock- walls  which  once  enclosed  the  body  of  Jesus 
makes  our  heart  beat  faster!  And  it  should  bring  the 

1  John  xx  :  11-12. 


Position  27.  Map  1. 


2  John  xix  :  41. 

*  Luke  xxiii :  63 ;  Matt,  xxvii :  60. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


77 


scenes  of  the  burial,  the  sealing,  and  the  rising  vividly 
before  us.  Not  far  away  stood  the  cross — it  could  not 
have  been  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away — from 
which  tender  hands  took  down  the  torn,  dead  body  of 
“Him  who  they  had  trusted  would  redeem  Israel.” 
Imagine  the  little  procession  down  the  hillside  in  the 
gathering  gloom;  the  body  hastily  wrapped  in  linen 
clothes,  and  the  napkin  covering  the  face;  the  women 
standing  by  and  watching  while  all  that  seems  to  be  left 
of  the  Nazarene  is  laid  to  rest  in  yonder  rocky  bed;  the 
stone  rolled  against  the  door,  and  stamped  with  the 
ruler’s  seal.  Can  we  bring  home  to  ourselves  how  they 
felt  on  that  night  as  they  turned  away  from  the  tomb 
and  from  the  hill? 

There  is  another  tomb  in  this  vicinity  which  will  show 
“the  stone  rolled  away.”  Find  on  the  map  of  Jerusalem 
and  its  environs  (Map  1),  the  “Tombs  of  the  Kings,” 
half  a  mile  from  the  city,  and  a  little  to  the  north¬ 
west  of  “The  New  Calvary.”  Here  a  vast  system  of 
sepulchral  caves  has  been  discovered,  which  shed  much 
light  upon  the  forms  of  burial  among  the  J ews.  Though 
called  the  “Tombs  of  the  Kings,”  they  were  excavated 
long  after  J ewish  kings  had  ceased  to  reign  in  Palestine. 
It  will  pay  us  to  go  and  see  the  way  in  which  a  tomb 
was  closed  by  rolling  a  stone  against  it.  It  will  make 
the  entrance  to  our  Lord’s  Tomb  real  to  us  as  it  never 
has  been  before.  Our  standpoint  is  marked  28. 

Position  28.  A  Tomb  with  the  stone  rolled 
away 

Notice  that  dark  opening  to  a  tomb,  approached  by 
steps  where  these  two  young  women  are  seated.  Do  you 
see  the  round,  flat  stone  standing  at  the  door?  A  frag- 


Poaltions  27,  28.  Map  1. 


78 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


ment  has  been  broken  off  on  one  side,  but  the  curve  in 
the  edge  of  the  stone  is  shown,  and  also  the  groove 
in  which  it  has  been  rolled  when  the  sepulchre  was 
closed.  You  can  see  how  heavy  it  must  be.  When  it 
rolls  forward,  too,  it  goes  down  an  incline  and  drops  into 
a  niche.  To  roll  it  in  its  channel  and  especially  to  roll 
it  away  from  the  tomb  entrance  would  require  the 
strength  of  two  men,  and  would  be  far  beyond  the  power 
of  women  like  those  seated  at  the  entrance.1  More¬ 
over,  when  shut,  the  tomb  could  be  easily  sealed,  as  we 
know  our  Lord’s  tomb  was  sealed  when  the  watch  was 
set.3 

A  visit  to  such  a  tomb  as  this,  less  than  a  mile  from 
the  place  where  Jesus  was  buried,  ought  to  make  the 
facts  in  the  gospel  history  exceedingly  real.  It  was 
in  connection  with  such  a  tomb  as  this,  and  not  far  from 
here,  that  occurred  that  most  momentous  of  all  events 
for  the  salvation  of  the  world — Christ’s  resurrection 
from  the  dead.  Our  salvation  depends  upon  this — a 
risen  Christ:  “If  Christ  be  not  risen,  then  is  our 
preaching  vain,  and  our  faith  is  also  vain.”  To  such 
a  stone  door  as  this  the  Roman  soldiers  brought,  toward 
evening  of  that  terrible  day,  the  dead  body  of  Christ. 
Such  a  stone  as  this  they  moved,  with  straining  muscle. 
You  can  see  the  ponderous  stone  roll  upon  its  channel; 
you  can  hear  an  echo  sound  through  the  cave  as  it 
strikes  the  wall;  you  can  think  of  the  utter  despair  of 
any  return  to  life  that  the  sound  brought  to  those  women 
as  they  realized  that  all  was  over,  and  He  whom  they 
loved  was  sealed  within  the  iron  hills.8  But  can  you 
also  picture  to  yourself  the  surprise  two  days  afterward 
when  those  same  women  found  the  great  stone  rolled 

1  Mark  xvi :  1-3.  2  Matt,  xxvil :  66. 

-  *  Matt,  xxvil :  60,  61, 

Position  28.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


79 


away,  and  an  angel  sitting  npon  it?4  Can  you  put 
yourself  in  John’s  place  as  he  stood  in  the  open  door 
of  the  tomb,  and  reverently  hesitated  to  enter  it  ?5  How 
like  John  it  was  to  stand  at  the  entrance;  and  how  like 
Peter  it  was  to  rush  forward  into  the  tomb,  and  see 
for  himself  that  the  body  was  no  longer  there !  Do  you 
remember  that  John,  though  second  to  enter  the  tomb, 
was  the  first  to  believe  that  His  Master  had  risen;  and 
to  believe  before  he  had  seen  Him  living?  He  saw  the 
long  grave-cloths  wrapped  and  lying  in  order;  he  saw 
the  napkin  that  had  covered  the  face  carefully  folded 
and  laid  by  itself;  and  then  the  conviction  rolled  upon 
his  consciousness  that  this  was  no  stealthy  robbery  of 
a  grave,  but  the  calm  conduct  of  One  who  was  in  no 
haste  to  depart.  “Then  that  disciple  saw  and  believed  !” 
Blessed  were  they  who  believed  after  they  had  seen 
their  Lord ;  more  blessed  the  disciple  alone  of  the  eleven 
who  believed  without  the  sight. 

Do  you  notice  on  the  map  of  J erusalem  a  road  leading 
from  the  so-called  Tombs  of  the  Kings  southward  to 
the  city?  Before  we  re-enter  the  city  we  shall  pause 
at  a  point  on  that  road,  not  far  from  the  wall,  and  look 
at  the  Damascus  Gate.  The  spot  where  we  are  to  stand 
is  marked  29. 

Position  29.  The  Damascus  Gate,  the  northern 
entrance  to  Jerusalem 

The  gate  is  open,  and  we  have  here  excellent  types 
of  the  life  that  is  continually  passing  in  and  out.  They 
are  worthy  of  thoughtful  observation. 

Those  narrow  windows  above,  how  clearly  the  sky 

4  Matt,  xxviii :  2. 

*  John  xx  :  1-9.  - 

Positions  28,  29.  Map  1. 


80 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


shines  through  them !  And  the  pinnacles  and  overhang¬ 
ing  little  boxes  for  watchmen — you  notice  how  they  are 
arranged  to  command  the  entrance  to  the  gate.  This 
wall  was  built  about  1640  by  Soliman  the  Magnificent, 
the  greatest  of  all  the  Sultans.  He  reigned  while 
Henry  VIII.  was  King  of  England,  and  Charles  V. 
was  Emperor  of  Germany,  and  while  Martin  Luther  was 
awakening  Europe  from  its  sleep  of  centuries.  The  pur¬ 
pose  of  the  wall  was  to  protect  J erusalem  from  the  raids 
of  Arab  robbers  from  the  desert;  and  against  small 
bodies  of  warriors  armed  after  the  ancient  manner  this 
wall  is  a  sufficient  safeguard.  But  one  modern  gun,  four 
miles  away,  could  demolish  it  in  an  hour.  You  see 
this  little  group  of  black  tents,  right  in  front  of  us. 
This  is  an  Arab  encampment;  and  those  ragged  people 
belong  to  the  ancient  race  of  the  Bedouin.  One  finds 
a  camp  of  them  at  the  gate  of  almost  every  city  near  the 
wilderness.  They  pick  up  a  bare  subsistence  by  trading 
horses,  telling  fortunes  and  stealing  a  little;  but  they 
are  wretchedly  poor. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  Saul  of  Tarsus,  when  he  came 
out  of  Jerusalem  on  his  way  to  Damascus,  with  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  destroying  the  church,1  found  just  such  a  squalid 
group  of  Arab  tents  right  here,  and  passed  many  more 
on  his  journey.  This  was  the  very  road  over  which  he 
must  have  traveled,  for  it  is  the  direct  road  to  Damascus, 
one  hundred  and  thirty-three  miles  northeast  of  Jeru¬ 
salem.  And  when,  three  years  after,  Saul  returned,  a 
transformed  man,  preaching  the  faith  which  once  he  per¬ 
secuted,2  it  was  through  this  gate  that  he  entered  the 
city  for  that  visit  of  fifteen  days  with  Peter  and  James. 
It  would  not  require  much  imagination  to  think  of  the 
two  apostles  as  waiting  yonder  at  the  gate. 

1  Acts  ix :  1-3.  *  Acts  ix :  23-31 ;  Galatians  1 : 17-19. 


Position  29.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


81 


Now  find  on  the  map  of  Jerusalem  (Map  1),  the 
Haram  Enclosure,  which  we  have  already  learned  covers 
the  site  of  Solomon’s  Temple.  At  its  northwestern 
corner  notice  the  Pasha’s  residence,  which  occupies,  by 
the  way,  the  spot  where  once  the  Tower  of  Antonia 
stood,  just  north  of  the  Temple.  From  that  point 
(marked  with  a  red  30)  we  shall  look  at  the  only  fine 
building  in  the  city — for  that  matter,  the  only  fine 
building  in  the  land. 

Position  30.  The  Dome  of  the  Rock,  site  of 
Solomon’s  Temple 

We  are  looking,  you  remember,  to  the  southeast.  Think 
for  a  moment  where  we  are,  and  on  what  we  are  looking ! 
Do  you  notice  that  mass  of  rock  at  our  feet?  That  is 
the  native  rock  of  Mount  Moriah,  just  as  Abraham  found 
it  when  he  climbed  this  hill  for  the  offering-up  of 
his  son;1  just  as  David  saw  it  when  he  walked  over  this 
hill  from  Mount  Zion  in  order  to  build  his  altar.2  That 
octagonal  building  yonder  is  the  Dome  of  the  Rock, 
which  covers  the  site  of  Solomon’s  sacrificial  altar.  It 
is  called  the  “Mosque  of  Omar” — why,  no  one  knows,  for 
it  is  not  properly  a  mosque,  though  regarded  by  the 
Mohammedans  as  a  very  sacred  place;  and  it  was  not 
built  by  the  Caliph  Omar,  but  by  Abd  el  Melik,  about 
700  A.  D.  Let  us  always  refer  to  it  by  its  better  name, 
the  “Dome  of  the  Rock,”  which  states  exactly  what  it 
is.  You  notice  that  it  is  of  two  colors,  light  and  dark. 
That  is  because  the  upper  part  is  covered  with  porcelain 
tiles,  and  the  lower  part  with  marble.  It  stands,  you  see, 
on  an  elevated  platform;  you  can  almost  count  the 
marble  steps  leading  up  to  it.  If  we  should  walk  up 

1  Gen.  xxii :  1-3. 

*11.  Sam.  xxiv :  18-25;  II.  Chron.  iii:  1. - 

Positions  29,  30.  Map  1. 


82  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

those  steps,  we  would  find  that  all  that  upper  platform  is 
“holy  ground,”  and  that  we  must  take  off  our  shoes, 
or  put  slippers  over  them.  Those  colonnades  are  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Enclosure,  and  are  the  principal 
entrance  from  the  city.  What  are  the  little  domed 
square  buildings  all  around  ?  Some  of  them  are  shrines 
or  places  for  prayer ;  perhaps  we  might  call  them 
chapels;  others  are  schools,  and  some  are  unoccupied. 
That  smaller  open  building  on  the  left  of  the  Dome, 
and  quite  similar  to  it,  is  called  “The  Judgment  Seat 
of  David.”  The  Moslems  say  that  it  was  built  as  a 
model  for  the  larger  building,  and  by  the  same 
architect. 

Do  you  notice  beyond  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  another 
large,  long  building,  with  a  dome  over  its  further  end? 
That  is  the  Mosque  el  Aksa,  a  true  mosque,  since  it  has 
a  minaret,  a  prayer-niche  or  recess  in  the  wall  looking 
toward  Mecca,  and  a  pulpit.  It  stands  at  the  southern 
side  of  the  Temple  Enclosure,  overlooking  the  Valley  of 
the  Kedron,  as  we  saw  when  standing  on  the  Hill  of 
Evil  Counsel  (Position  14).  It  was  erected  by  the 
Emperor  Justinian  in  the  sixth  century,  A.  D.,  and 
was  transformed  into  a  mosque  by  the  Saracens,  after 
their  conquest  of  the  city.  You  can  see  a  section  of 
the  eastern  wall,  in  the  distance  on  the  left,  and  beyond 
it  the  rocky  surface  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 

This  plateau  before  us  has  been  built  over  so  many 
times  and  in  such  varied  architecture  that  it  needs  a 
strong  imagination  to  bring  back  its  actual  appearance 
at  the  different  epochs  of  Bible  history.  In  David’s 
time  it  was  outside  the  city,  but  late  in  his  reign  he 
chose  it  for  the  site  of  the  Temple  that  his  son  should 
rear.  How  magnificent  it  must  have  been  in  Solomon’s 
day,  surrounded  by  corridors  and  towers,  and  with 


Position  30.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


83 


the  front  of  the  temple  where  now  the  octagonal  build¬ 
ing  stands !  Do  you  not  see  King  Hezekiah  walking 
across  that  platform/  bearing  in  his  hands  the  insulting 
message  of  the  Assyrian  emperor,  to  lay  it  before  the 
Lord,  yonder  at  the  altar,  where  we  see  the  great  dome  ? 
Isaiah  stands  there,  with  the  vision  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts 
still  illumining  his  face/  Jeremiah,  mournful  yet  cour¬ 
ageous,  delivers  his  message  of  woe  on  that  platform.8 
Look  at  Hebuchadnezzar’s  army  pouring  through  the 
broken  wall,  while  the  Temple  roof  rises  in  flame,  and 
its  wall  sinks  in  ashes !  And  six  hundred  years  later, 
in  the  courts  of  a  new  Temple,  see  that  Child  of  twelve 
years  standing  while  a  circle  of  scribes  around  are  won¬ 
dering  at  His  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  His  mother  is 
pressing  her  way  through  the  throng  to  lead  Him  away  !* * 
See  that  Child  grown  now  to  manhood,  with  His  whip 
of  small  cords,  driving  out  the  profaners  of  His  Father’s 
House  !7  Listen  to  Him  as  He  faces  the  frowning 
nobles  and  priests,  with  answers  sharper  than  sword- 
thrusts;  look  at  Him  as  in  tender  words  He  teaches 
the  people,  and  with  gentle  touch  He  heals  the  blind 
and  the  lame!8  Look  at  Peter  and  John,  arm  in  arm, 
walking  across  the  pavement,  and  pausing  yonder  be¬ 
fore  a  helpless  cripple,  to  whom  they  give  something 
more  precious  than  silver  and  gold  !9  Can  you  see  Paul 
of  Tarsus  kneeling  in  prayer  yonder,  all  undisturbed 
by  the  muttering  and  scowling  of  the  mob  that  in  a 
moment  shall  be  ready  to  rush  upon  him  with  mur¬ 
derous  purpose?10  But  up  in  the  tower  the  Koman 
soldiers  are  ready  to  rescue  that  apostle  from  the  vio¬ 
lence  of  his  countrymen,  and  lodge  him  in  the  castle 


8 II.  Kings  xlx :  14. 

4  Isaiah  vi :  1. 

*  Jeremiah  xxtI :  1,  2. 
0  Luke  11 :  46. 


7  John  ii :  13-16. 

8  Matt,  xxi :  14. 

0  Acts  iii :  1-10. 

10  Acts  xxi :  26-36. 


Position.  80.  Map  1. 


84  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

as  a  prisoner.  Such  are  the  events  that  succeed  each 
other  as  in  a  dissolving  view  through  two  thousand 
years,  from  Abraham  to  Paul,  in  the  history  of  this 
storied  spot. 

We  will  walk  across  this  rocky  plateau,  ascend  those 
steps,  and  enter  the  door  of  yonder  octagonal  building. 
Within  and  directly  beneath  the  dome  is  the  actual 
rock  which  has  played  a  considerable  part  in  the  history 
of  this  land  from  the  earliest  times.  Very  probably 
Abraham  looked  upon  it.  We  shall  see  it  also. 

Position  31.  The  sacred  Rock,  where  the 
Temple  Altar  stood,  Mount  Moriah 

Moriah  signifies  “provided  by  Jehovah,”  and  is  sup¬ 
posed  to  be  where  Abraham  offered  Isaac.1  Look  at 
that  rough,  massive,  native  rock!  You  are  on  its 
southern  side,  facing  toward  the  north.  On  the  left 
or  western  side,  the  rock  has  been  roughly  hewn  into  a 
platform;  and  there  are  several  artificial  channels  and 
indentations  running  across  its  surface,  but  as  a  whole, 
it  remains  almost  as  it  was  when  David  stood  upon  it, 
and  Solomon  knelt  before  his  altar  there.2  In  size, 
the  naked  portion  is  fifty-seven  feet  long  (from  north 
to  south),  forty-three  feet  wide,  and  rises  six  and  a  half 
feet  above  the  floor  of  the  building.  Do  you  notice 
that  high  railing  of  iron?  It  surrounds  the  Rock,  and 
was  erected  by  the  Crusaders,  in  the  Middle  Ages.  You 
see  that  there  are  two  rows  of  columns,  with  arches 
above  them?  These  form  double  corridors,  one  inside 
the  other,  around  the  interior  of  the  building.  Do  you 
notice  that  the  two  columns  of  the  outer  circle  do  not 

1  Gen.  xxii :  2.  2  II.  Chron.  vi :  13. 


Positions  30,  31.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


85 


match?  One  has  a  wider  block  above  its  capital  than 
the  other.  All  the  sixteen  columns  in  this  building 
were  taken  from  ancient  temples,  and  are  of  different 
size  and  color,  but  brought  to  the  same  height  of  twenty 
feet  by  blocks  placed  upon  them.  At  each  of  the  eight 
corners  in  the  exterior  corridor  stands  a  massive  stone 
pier,  and  one  at  each  of  the  four  corners  of  the  in¬ 
terior  corridor.  You  can  see  one  of  the  exterior  piers, 
and  one  of  the  interior,  on  the  left.  They  are  covered 
with  finely  designed  tiling.  Do  you  notice  those  little 
arched  windows?  Their  panes  are  of  plaster  with 
innumerable  colored  glass  plates  through  which  only  an 
exceedingly  dim  religious  light  can  enter.  On  the 
north  side — most  distant  from  where  we  are  standing — 
a  part  of  the  rock  has  been  cut  away,  probably  for  the 
ascent  leading  up  to  the  altar :  for  on  this  rock  from  the 
days  of  Solomon  to  those  of  Titus,  70  A.  D.,  the  daily 
sacrifice  was  offered.  Under  the  Rock  is  a  cave  which 
can  be  entered  by  a  staircase  under  that  projection  on 
the  right.  Probably  that  cave  was  a  cesspool  under  the 
altar,  having  connection  by  a  sewer  with  the  brook 
Kedron;  but  its  original  purpose  has  been  crowded  out 
of  thought  by  the  fantastic  legends  that  Moslems  have 
told  about  it. 

We  forego  the  fancies,  and  recall  facts  enough  to 
make  this  one  of  the  most  impressive  places  on  the  earth. 
On  this  very  spot  was  David's  altar,  when  the  angel 
stood,  with  drawn  sword  over  Jerusalem;*  and  here 
stood  Solomon's  altar,  for  four  hundred  years.  Then 
for  fifty  years  the  sacrifices  ceased,  and  the  Rock  was 
heaped  with  ashes,  until  the  returning  exiles  built  upon 
it  a  new  altar  for  the  second  Temple.4  Before  that 
altar  stood  Ezra,  Nehemiah,  Zechariah,  heroes  and 


*  I.  Chron.  xxi :  16-27. 
1  Ezra  vi :  3-12. 


Position  31.  Map  1. 


86  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

prophets  of  the  latest  Old  Testament  history;  and  then 
after  the  four  centuries  of  silence  came  the  heroes  of 
the  New  Testament,  the  Master  and  His  twelve  disciples, 
looking  at  the  sacrifices  upon  this  same  rock  and  seeing 
in  them  new  meanings.  On  that  day  in  A.D.  70,  when 
the  soldiers  of  Titus  broke  into  the  Temple,  they  came 
here  and  slew  the  High  Priest  offering  the  sacrifice 
where  for  a  thousand  years  his  predecessors  had  offered 
it  before,  and  then  altar  and  temple  and  sacrifice  were 
swept  away,  never  to  be  restored. 

You  noticed  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Temple 
Enclosure  the  Mosque  el  Aksa.  Let  us  enter  it  and 
look  at  its  interior.  The  map  of  Jerusalem  (Map  1), 
marks  our  standpoint,  32. 

Position  32.  The  pulpit  of  Omar,  Mosque  el 
Aksa 

According  to  Mohammedan  tradition,  there  are  four 
requisites  for  a  true  mosque :  a  minaret,  from  which  the 
faithful  are  called  to  worship;  a  fountain  where  they 
wash  before  their  prayers;  a  mihrab ,  or  recess  in  the 
wall  in  the  direction  of  Mecca;  and  a  mimbar  or  pul¬ 
pit.  The  first  two  of  these  in  connection  with  el  Aksa, 
are  out  of  doors;  but  the  last  two  are  just  before  us. 
Do  you  see  that  curving  place  in  the  wall,  to  our  left? 
That  is  the  mihrab ,  or  sacred  recess,  which  shows  the 
direction  of  Mecca,  where  Mohammed  was  born. 
Toward  that  place  all  the  worshippers  turn  in  their 
prayers,  even  as  Daniel  in  Babylon  prayed  with  his 
window  open  toward  Jerusalem;1  and  as  the  “ark”  in 
every  Jewish  synagogue  throughout  Europe  and  Amer¬ 
ica  is  in  the  eastern  end,  so  that  the  worshippers  face 

1  Daniel  vi :  10. 


PoMitionii  31,  32.  Map  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


87 


toward  it.  Do  you  see  that  steep,  narrow  staircase,  just 
to  the  right  of  the  recess?  That  is  the  minibar  or 
pulpit,  upon  which  a  Mohammedan  preacher  stands 
every  Friday  to  address  the  people.  He  must  never 
read  his  sermons;  he  must  never  employ  any  oratorical 
devices,  or  gestures,  but  must  speak  in  a  monotonous 
tone,  not  calling  attention  from  his  message  to  himself. 
You  see  the  prayer  rugs  spread  upon  the  floor.  Each 
worshipper  removes  his  sandals  as  he  enters  the  mosque, 
and  so  must  each  visitor. 

This  building  was  once  a  Christian  church,  built  by 
the  Greek  emperor  Justinian,  in  the  sixth  century  after 
Christ;  but  it  was  taken  by  the  Saracens  under  the 
Caliph  Omar,  A.D.  636,  and  turned  into  a  mosque. 
The  building  rests  on  subterranean  vaults  and  arches, 
for  the  original  surface  of  Mount  Moriah  is  far  below 
the  floor.  “El  Aksa”  means  “the  most  remote,”  and 
it  points  back  to  a  time  when  this  was  the  mosque 
farthest  from  Mecca.  To-day  this  is  the  most  sacred 
place  in  all  the  world  to  Mohammedans,  excepting  the 
shrine  at  Mecca,  and  pilgrims  who  journey  hither  re¬ 
ceive  the  same  title,  “Hadji,”  as  the  pilgrims  to  Mecca. 

Now  we  are  to  start  for  Bethany.  As  you  know,  this 
little  town  rests  on  the  farther  side  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  southeast  of  Jerusalem.  You  can  find  its  loca¬ 
tion  on  the  small  map  of  Jerusalem,  the  Mount  of 
Olives  and  Bethany  (Map  2).  We  will  stop  first,  how¬ 
ever,  as  this  small  map  and  also  the  map  of  Jerusalem 
show,  at  the  point  marked  33  where  the  road  leading 
down  from  St.  Stephen’s  Gate  joins  another  one  in  the 
valley.  From  that  place  we  can  look  southeast  toward 
Bethany. 


Position  32.  Map  1. 


88 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


Position  33.  The  lower  road  to  Bethany, 
southeast  from  Jerusalem 

The  valley  immediately  before  ns  is  ocupied  by  a 
plantation  of  olive  trees.  We  find  this  tree  everywhere 
in  Palestine.  Its  fruit  is  the  most  reliable  and  most 
valuable  crop  in  all  the  land.  When  one  sells  a  field, 
the  olive  trees  in  it  are  specified  in  the  deed,  or  other¬ 
wise  their  ownership  is  reserved  by  the  seller.  It  takes 
forty  years  after  planting  for  a  tree  to  bring  a  profitable 
crop,  but  its  owner  must  begin  to  pay  taxes  on  it  at 
once,  though  his  children  and  not  himself  will  gather 
the  fruits  of  it.  And  the  farmer  is  forbidden  to  pluck 
a  single  olive  until  the  tax  has  been  fixed  and  paid. 

Yonder  across  the  valley  is  the  Garden  of  Gethsem- 
ane,  which  we  saw  at  a  distance  before,  once  from  the 
path  outside  the  east  wall,  near  the  Golden  Gate  (Posi¬ 
tion  17),  and  again  from  the  slope  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives  (Position  18).  Do  you  notice  that  carriage,  with 
two  horses,  standing  in  the  road?  A  party  of  tourists 
have  left  it,  and  are  probably  walking  among  the  trees 
of  the  Garden.  There  is  a  road  branching  off  to  the 
right  which  skirts  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and 
follows  the  valley. 

The  main  road  climbing  the  hill  is  the  carriage  road 
around  to  Bethany,  which  lies  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the 
eastward.  That  is  the  road  which  our  .Saviour  must 
have  trodden  over  and  over  again  in  His  visits  to 
Jerusalem;  for  He  made  His  home  in  Bethany  and 
went  back  and  forth  daily;  to  the  city  in  the  morning, 
returning  to  Bethany  in  the  evening.1  How  real  the 
story  seems  as  we  look  on  that  old  road!  Does  it 
not  bring  up  to  you  vividly  the  days  between  the 
Anointing  and  the  Last  Supper,  when  every  day  (save 

1  Matt,  xxi :  17  ;  Mark  xi :  11, 12, 19,  20. 

Position  33.  Maps  1,  2. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


89 


Wednesday)  Jesus  walked  over  that  road  to  the  city, 
and  then  at  evening  sought  again  the  shelter  and  safety 
of  that  home  in  Bethany? 

Behind  us,  as  you  know,  at  the  top  of  this  lane  in 
which  we  are  standing,  is  St.  Stephen’s  Gate,  and  you 
will  see  why  that  name  was  given.  It  was  because 
here,  where  these  loose  stones  are  piled  up  beside  this 
road,  Stephen,  the  first  Christian  martyr,  won  his 
crown.2  Look  again  on  Map  2  and  note  how  near  this 
place  is  to  the  Temple,  where  Stephen  was  on  trial 
before  the  Jewish  Council.  The  elders  listened  to  his 
fiery  eloquence,  and  felt  the  power  of  his  unanswerable 
logic,  which  pointed  to  a  kingdom  of  God  for  Gentiles, 
no  less  than  for  Jews.  They  could  not  meet  his  argu¬ 
ments,  so  they  assailed  him  with  blows;  they  dragged 
him  from  the  court-room  and  out  of  the  sacred  pre¬ 
cincts  of  the  Temple.  Through  the  gate  which  now 
bears  his  name  the  crowd  rushed  with  their  unresisting 
victim :  and  here  he  fell,  a  prayer  for  his  slayers  rising 
from  his  lips.  It  is  only  tradition  that  locates  this 
scene  at  this  exact  spot,  but  it  is  very  ancient  tradition, 
and  there  is  good  reason  for  accepting  it.  We  have 
an  interest  in  this  place,  more  than  in  many  others,  be¬ 
cause  it  was  Stephen  who  caught  the  first  prophetic 
glimpse  of  a  church  for  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  who 
proclaimed  the  open  door  before  Peter  beheld  his  vision, 
who  began  the  work  of  the  world’s  evangelization,  the 
work  that  was  carried  forward  by  the  young  man  who 
on  this  spot  kept  the  garments  of  those  that  stoned 
Stephen,  all  unconscious  that  he  should  yet  become 
Stephen’s  successor. 

Before  we  pass  over  the  hill  to  Bethany  we  want  to 

1  Acts  yil :  54-60. 

Position  33.  Maps  1,  2. 


90 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


enter  Gethsemane.  First,  though,  let  us  turn  aside  to 
the  spot  marked  34  and  look  at  a  company  of  lepers. 
The  disease  is  not  considered  contagious,  excepting  by 
contact,  and  so  these  unfortunates  are  allowed  to  fre¬ 
quent  this  valley,  though  not  allowed  in  the  city. 

Position  34.  “  Unclean!  Unclean!”  Wretched 

lepers  outside  Jerusalem 

Can  you  endure  to  look  at  those  wretched  people, 
pleading  for  alms  from  the  passers-by  ?  There  are  gen¬ 
erally  forty  or  fifty  of  them  outside  the  city.  Look  at 
the  stumps  of  hands  from  which  the  fingers  have 
dropped  off!  See  those  twisted  and  deformed  feet! 
There  is  a  mystery  about  this  terrible  malady,  which  has 
not  yet  been  fathomed.  No  one  knows  its  origin.  It 
comes  upon  its  victims  through  a  strange  law  of  hered¬ 
ity,  which  will  leap  over  several  generations,  and  then 
break  out  anew ;  but  there  are  cases  which  have  no  trace¬ 
able  connection  with  any  previous  leprosy.  Wherever 
we  see  it  in  this  land,  it  takes  us  back  to  the  old  Bible 
time.  These  three  lepers  are  like  the  ten  whom  Jesus 
met;1  they  may  beg  for  help  in  horrible,  unintelligible 
sounds — for  the  disease  rots  the  inner  as  well  as  the 
outer  organs — but  they  never  attempt  to  touch  the 
passer.  They  are  shut  out  of  the  cities,  and  live  by 
themselves  in  loathsome  communities,2  where  leprous 
women  have  children,  in  infancy  fair  as  others,  but  the 
terrible  curse  is  upon  them  and  is  certain  to  develop 
later.  There  is  no  more  cure  for  the  leper  now  than 
there  was  in  Naaman’s  day.*  Perhaps  the  strangest 
phase  of  the  disease  is  that  it  is  almost  painless.  Dread- 

1  Luke  xvii :  12-19. 


Position  34.  Map  1. 


2  II.  Kings  vii :  3. 
*  II.  Kings  v  :  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


91 


fill  as  are  the  sores  on  a  leper’s  body,  he  scarcely  feels 
them. 

What  a  picture  all  this  is  of  that  other,  deeper, 
deadlier  disease  of  sin — a  disease  that  every  man  inherits 
from  a  line  of  sinning  ancestors;  a  disease  so  insidious 
that  it  is  hard  for  the  sinner  to  believe  in  his  own  guilt, 
ready  as  he  is  to  see  the  same  symptoms  in  others;  a 
disease  which  no  human  power  can  cure,  or  even 
arrest;  a  disease  which  when  it  is  finished  brings  forth 
death;4  a  disease  which  can  be  reached  and  healed  bv 
the  transforming  touch  of  the  Son  of  God ! 

Now  let  us  enter  that  hallowed  enclosure,  the  Garden 
of  Gethsemane.  The  place  where  we  are  to  stand  is 
set  down  on  Map  1  and  marked  35. 

Position  35,  Ancient  olive  trees,  Garden  of 
Gethsemane 

Does  it  seem  difficult,  at  first,  to  feel  that  this  was 
the  garden  of  the  Saviour’s  agony?  But  look  again  at 
those  venerable  olive  trees — do  not  they,  of  themselves, 
recall  the  event  which  fixes  the  eyes  of  the  Christian 
world  upon  this  spot?  One  can  well  call  up  the  awful 
scene  of  sorrow  that  was  enacted  here,  the  Saviour 
kneeling  alone,  falling  upon  the  ground,  sweating  great 
drops  of  blood.  We  might  almost  believe  that  our 
Saviour  knelt  under  one  of  these  very  trees,  so  old  and 
worn  they  look,  but  we  know  that  even  the  olive  does  not 
live  two  thousand  years;  and,  moreover,  that  the 
Bomans  cut  down  all  the  trees  around  the  city  in  their 
siege,  70  A.D.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  the  supposition 
that  this  group  of  trees  may  be  the  direct  descendants, 

4  James  i :  15. 


Position*  34,  35.  Map  1. 


92  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

and  only  one  remove  from  those  which  gave  to  this 
place  its  name,  Gethsemane,  “oliv e-press.” 

Here  then  we  look  npon  the  suffering  Son  of  Man, 
and  try  to  realize  that  He  suffered  for  us.  Close  at 
hand  were  sleeping  the  three  disciples,  willing  in  spirit, 
but  weak  in  flesh.  Through  yonder  cypresses  appeared 
the  traitor  with  his  band.  Do  you  see  in  the  distance 
the  wall  of  the  city  out  of  which  they  came? 

“Where  climbs  thy  steep,  fair  Olivet, 

There  is  a  spot  most  dear  to  me; 

The  spot  with  tears  of  sorrow  wet, 

Where  Jesus  knelt  in  agony. 

“I  love  in  thought  to  linger  there, 

To  tread  the  hallowed  ground  alone, 

Where  on  the  silent,  midnight  air 
’Rose  heavenward,  Lord,  Thy  plaintive  moan. 

“I  fondly  seek  the  olive  shade 

That  veiled  Thee  when  Thy  soul  was  wrung; 

When  angels  came  to  bring  Thee  aid, 

That  oft  to  Thee  their  hearts  had  strung. 

“There  on  the  sacred  turf  I  kneel, 

And  breathe  my  heart’s  deep  love  to  Thee; 

While  tender  memories  o’er  me  steal 
Of  all  Thou  didst  endure  for  me.” 

— Ray  Palmer. 

How  we  shall  visit  Bethany.  On  the  map  of  Jeru¬ 
salem  and  Bethany  (Map  2),  you  see  the  place  to  which 
we  go,  on  the  opposite  slope  of  Olivet.  From  the  point 
marked  36  we  are  to  look  down  on  the  little  village 
situated  on  the  southeastern  spur  of  the  Mount.  Jeru¬ 
salem  will  be  off  at  our  right  (at  the  west). 

Position  36.  Bethany,  looking  south  from  the 
eastern  slope  of  Olivet 

What  a  squalid,  miserable  place  it  is!  Can  you 
imagine  Martha,  that  careful  housekeeper,  having  her 


Positions  35,  36.  Maps  1,  2. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  93 

home  in  such  a  cluster  of  hovels?  Most  of  the  people 
living  here  to-day  are  wretchedly  poor;  the  young 
woman’s  string  of  silver  coins  glittering  over  her  fore¬ 
head  represents  the  larger  part  of  the  savings  of  her 
family — accumulated  funds  are  kept  in  this  form  in¬ 
stead  of  being  put  in  a  bank  as  would  be  the  case  in 
our  own  country.  The  dowry  of  a  marriageable  girl  is 
practically  advertised  in  this  way  for  the  information 
of  possible  suitors. 

We  must  sweep  away  the  present,  and  build  in  our 
thought  another  Bethany  on  that  hillside;  for  the  Pal¬ 
estine  of  to-day  is  only  the  shadow  and  the  ruin  of  the 
Palestine  two  thousand  years  ago.  The  stones  that 
formed  part  of  Martha’s  and  Mary’s  house  are  unques¬ 
tionably  on  that  hillside  now,  although  there  is  not  a 
house  now  standing  in  the  village  that  was  standing 
when  Jesus  visited  Bethany.  Yet  we  may  be  shown 
all  the  places  connected  with  the  New  Testament  story 
in  this  place;  for  instance,  do  you  see  on  the  right,  just 
outside  the  village,  two  ruined  towers  ?  That,  they 
tell  us,  is  the  house  of  Simon  the  leper,1  where  the 
feast  was  made  in  honor  of  Jesus,  when  Martha  served, 
and  Mary  anointed  the  Saviour’s  feet.  Simon  must 
have  been  a  rich  man,  they  suppose,  and  hence  they 
gave  his  name  to  the  largest  house  in  the  place.  Near 
it,  but  out  of  our  present  range  of  vision,  is  the  so-called 
Tomb  of  Lazarus.  It  would  tax  our  credulity  to  accept 
these  exact  locations,  but  we  know  they  all  once  stood 
upon  this  hillside;  we  know  that  our  Lord  walked  over 
these  paths,  and  counted  yonder  village  as  one  of  His 
homes.  It  is  probable  that  even  in  His  earlier  visits 
to  Jerusalem  Jesus  stayed  here,  since  both  Luke  and 
John  gave  us  hints  to  that  effect.2  We  know  that  in 


1  Mark  xiv  :  3-9. 

*  Luke  i :  38-42  ;  John  xi :  1-5. 


Position  36.  Map  2. 


94 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


the  third  year  of  His  ministry  (the  year  of  opposition), 
He  came  to  this  very  place,  and  found  Lazarus  dead, 
and  four  days  in  his  tomb.8  Try  to  call  up  that  scene — 
the  sorrowing  sisters,  the  sympathizing  friends,  the 
sepulchre  with  stone  before  its  door,  the  tears  of  Jesus, 
then  the  mighty  word  of  command,  and  the  form 
wrapped  in  burial-clothes  standing  alive?  That  most 
marvelous  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus,  save  the  crowning 
one  of  all,  His  own  Resurrection — has  stamped  itself 
upon  this  place.  Its  name  now  is  el  Azariyeh,  “The 
Lazarus.”  Who  has  not  wished  to  ask,  as  the  great 
laureate  has  written4 

“Where  wert  thou,  brother,  those  four  days? 

There  lives  no  record  of  reply, 

Which  telling  what  it  is  to  die 
Had  surely  added  praise  to  praise. 

“Behold  a  man  raised  up  by  Christ! 

The  rest  remaineth  unrevealed. 

He  told  it  not,  or  something  sealed 
The  lips  of  that  Evangelist.” 

There  are  other  questions  that  haunt  us  concerning 
Lazarus  after  his  return  to  life  here :  What  became  of 
him?  What  kind  of  a  man  would  he  be  who  has  come 
back  from  the  other  world?  Another  great  poet  has 
tried  to  answer  these  questions  in  his  own  strange  way, 
imagining  a  physician  of  the  time  writing  a  letter  to 
another  physician  after  an  interview  with  Lazarus, 
thirty  years  after  his  resurrection.8 

One  other  event  in  the  life  of  Christ,  the  closing  scene 
of  all,  comes  before  us  as  we  look  on  this  place.  Here 
Jesus  was  seen  for  the  last  time  on  the  earth,  ascend¬ 
ing  into  heaven.*  Not  in  Bethany,  but  somewhere  near 

8  John  xi :  17. 

4  Tennyson’s  “  In  Memoriam,”  Nos.  xxxi,  xxxn. 

*  Robert  Browning,  “  An  Epistle  containing  the  Strange  Medical  Ex¬ 
perience  of  Karshish,  the  Arab  Physician.” 

8  Luke  xxiv  :  60-53 ;  Acts  i :  8-12. 


Position  36.  Map  2. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


95 


it,  perhaps  on  some  spot  at  this  moment  in  onr  field 
of  vision,  perhaps  not  far  from  where  we  are  standing. 
We  hear  His  final  utterances ;  we  see  Him  slowly  rising 
in  the  air,  with  outstretched  hands  of  blessing,  while 
the  disciples  vainly  reach  after  Him ;  we  hear  the  angel?s 
promise,  “He  will  come  again,”  and  with  that  scene 
before  us,  we  look  with  renewed  interest  upon  Bethany. 

Even  though  we  do  not  believe  in  the  legendary  local¬ 
ities,  here  and  elsewhere,  let  us  go  beyond  those  olive 
trees  and  look  at  the  so-called  home  of  Martha,  Mary 
and  Lazarus.  The  place  where  we  are  to  see  it  is  marked 
37  on  the  small  map  of  Jerusalem  and  Bethany 
(Map  2). 

Position  37.  Ruins  of  the  home  of  Martha, 
Mary  and  Lazarus 

That  is  the  house,  directly  in  front,  with  the  boy 
upon  its  wall.  It  opens,  you  see,  on  a  little  court,  as 
do  nearly  all  Oriental  houses,  and  not  upon  the  street. 
Invariably  a  high  wall  shuts  off  the  enclosure.  In 
some  such  court-yard  as  this,  on  this  very  hillside,  Jesus 
must  have  sat,  while  Mary  listened  at  His  feet,  and 
Martha  hurried  around  in  her  household  care.  You 
will  remember  that  about  six  months  after  the  raising 
of  Lazarus,  Jesus  was  in  Bethany  again,  having  come 
up  from  His  ministry  in  Perea,  for  His  last  visit  to 
Jerusalem.  Here  he  made  His  home  during  four  or 
five  days,  going  to  Jerusalem  over  the  road  that  we 
have  just  seen  (Position  33),  and  returning  to  His 
safe  and  quiet  resting-place  at  evening.  Little  dreamed 
those  sisters,  as  they  saw  Him  depart  on  the  Thursday 
of  that  week,  that  he  was  leaving  their  house  for  the 
last  time,  and  that  on  the  morrow  they  would  behold 
him  hanging  upon  a  cross ! 


Positions  36,  37.  Map  2. 


96  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

We  have  now  moved  about  Jerusalem  so  as  to  be¬ 
come  definitely  acquainted  with  the  city,  as  a  whole, 
as  well  as  with  many  of  the  most  important  points  of 
interest  within  and  about  its  walls.  A  great  deal  more 
can  be  learned  by  returning  to  these  places  many  times 
and  trying  by  careful  observation  to  note  their  almost 
numberless  details.  If  we  do  this  we  shall  find  that 
they  contain  unlimited  possibilities  of  suggestion  to 
help  us  realize  more  vividly  the  significance  of  the  city’s 
great  past. 

Next  we  set  out  to  visit  the  places  of  greatest  his¬ 
toric  interest  scattered  through  the  land.  First  we  turn 
south.  The  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Bethlehem,  as  we 
trace  it  on  Map  1  and  Map  7,  starts  at  the  Jaffa  Gate 
(Position  9),  crosses  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  below  the 
Lower  Pool  of  Gihon  (Position  13),  turns  to  the  left 
of  the  Hill  of  Evil  Counsel,  and  goes  directly  south, 
though  with  many  windings  around  the  hills.  Now  re¬ 
fer  once  more  to  the  general  map  of  Palestine  and  find 
Bethlehem,  about  six  miles  south  of  Jerusalem.  Our 
next  three  outlooks  will  be  gained  there. 

As  people  enter  the  town  they  come  almost  at  once 
to  the  place  of  greatest  interest,  the  Church  of  St.  Mary, 
or  of  the  Nativity. 

Position  38.  Church  of  the  Nativity,  Bethlehem 

We  are  in  Bethlehem — Bethlehem  of  Judea!  How 
much  this  scattered  company  of  people  look  as  we  have 
always  vaguely  supposed  people  appeared  in  the  streets 
of  Bethlehem  in  those  olden  times.  Indeed  we  can  look 
at  this  scene  before  us  with  the  assurance  that  we  know, 
in  all  essential  respects,  what  a  street  scene  in  Bethlehem 
was  like  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  To  one  accus¬ 
tomed  to  the  changing  fashions  of  the  West  it  is  difficult 


Positions  37,  38.  Maps  2,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


97 


to  think  of  this  company  as  actually  existing  to-day,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century — it  is  easier  to 
feel  that  we  are  back  in  the  past,  looking  at  the  people 
of  those  far-off  times.  What  subjects  have  been  dis¬ 
cussed  on  this  spot  by  groups  like  these,  back  through 
the  ages !  What  eyes  have  looked  here  on  similar  scenes ! 
How  many  times  has  grain  been  sold  here  as  we  see 
men  selling  it  now  in  this  market  place !  Note  the  man 
buying  grain  near  us,  the  good  measure  he  is  getting, 
the  grain  being  pressed  down  and  running  over.  It  is 
an  ancient  custom  here  in  the  East  to  give  the  man 
who  buys  every  kernel  he  can  make  lay  on  the  measure. 
Now  turn  in  the  Bible  to  Luke  vi :  38,  and  see  whether 
you  do  not  feel  that  Christ  had  just  such  a  scene  in 
mind — a  scene  which  He  had  often  looked  upon — when 
He  uttered  those  words :  “And  it  shall  be  given  unto 
you,  good  measure,  pressed  down  and  shaken  together 
and  running  over,  shall  men  give  unto  your  bosom, 
for  with  the  same  measure  that  ye  mete  withal  it  shall 
be  measured  to  you  again.”  Do  not  these  words  come 
now  with  greater  force  than  ever  before?  Could  that 
great  truth  have  been  expressed  in  a  more  forceful  way  ? 
What  a  great  Teacher  Christ  was ! 

That  building  beyond  is  of  deep  interest,  for  many 
believe,  and  with  some  reason,  that  it  stands  over  the 
very  place  where  our  Divine  Teacher  and  Saviour  was 
born.  The  church  stands  in  the  center,  flanked  by  three 
monasteries,  two  of  which  we  see,  one  on  the  left  and 
the  other  extending  toward  us  on  the  right.  It  is 
thought  that  the  central  structure  is  the  one  erected 
here  in  320  A.D.  by  the  Emperor  Constantine.  At  any 
rate,  this  is  an  example  of  the  earliest  Christian  style 
of  architecture,  and,  according  to  Jerome,  who  lived 
here  shortly  after  its  construction,  this  church  was  un- 


Position  38.  Map  7. 


98  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

doubtedly  built  upon  the  site  of  the  Bethlehem  Kahn, 
or  Inn.  The  Kahns  on  ancient  caravan  routes  were 
situated  at  certain  fixed  places  and  held  their  positions 
for  centuries,  so  it  is  very  possible  that  the  Kahn 
spoken  of  by  Jerome  was  in  the  same  place  as  the  one 
to  which  Joseph  and  Mary  came.  Tradition  as  early 
as  the  second  century  (Justin  Martyr)  holds  that  the 
stable  of  this  Kahn  was  a  rock-hewn  cave.  But  though 
there  may  be  lingering  doubt  in  regard  to  the  exactness 
of  this  location  of  Christ’s  birthplace,  still  we  need  not 
let  the  spirit  of  criticism  deprive  us  of  those  emotions 
which  a  scene  in  Bethlehem  should  awaken.  This  lo¬ 
cality  was  referred  to  under  the  name  of  Ephratah,  or 
Ephrath,  “fruitful,”  (Genesis  xxxv. :  19;  Micah  v:2;) 
as  Bethlehem- Judah  (Ruth  i:l) ;  as  the  City  of  David 
(I.  Samuel  xvi:  18;  Luke  ii:  11). 

We  are  now  looking  about  east,  and  we  shall  soon  go 
to  the  top  of  the  church  and  look  back  in  this  direction. 
From  that  higher  position  we  can  get  a  more  general 
view  of  the  town. 

Position  39.  Bethlehem  of  Judea,  the  birth¬ 
place  of  Jesus 

We  are  looking  at  the  city  in  a  westerly  direction, 
from  the  roof  of  the  church.  The  square  now  below  is 
where  we  watched  the  grain-sellers.  Do  you  see  the 
peculiar  flat  stone  paving  directly  before  us?  That  is 
where  the  atrium  or  entrance  hall  of  this  ancient  church 
of  St.  Mary,  generally  known  as  “The  Church  of  the 
Nativity,”  once  stood.  See  those  camels  lying  on  the 
ground,  with  their  knees  folded  under  them,  as  only 
a  camel  can  fold  his  knees.  That  tall  tower  in  front 
looks  like  the  minaret  of  a  mosque:  and  such  it  may 


Positions  38,  39.  Map  T. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


99 


be,  though  we  are  told  that  in  1831  the  Moslems  were 
all  driven  out  by  their  Christian  neighbors,  their  “quar¬ 
ter”  was  destroyed,  and  since  that  time  the  few 
Mohammedans  in  the  city  have  had  no  mosque;  but 
that  may  refer  to  the  worship  and  not  to  the  building. 
The  distant  spire  and  tower  belong  to  a  Greek  church; 
for  in  this  city  of  eight  thousand  people  all  the  great 
churches  are  represented — Greek,  Roman  and  Armen¬ 
ian.  The  building  with  many  arches,  on  the  right,  is 
a  monastery.  The  houses  have  a  more  solid  and  re¬ 
spectable  look,  do  they  not,  than  those  in  most  of  the 
villages  that  we  have  seen?  That  comes  in  part  from 
the  fact  that  the  Bethlehemites  of  our  time  are  Chris¬ 
tians,  always  more  progressive  and  prosperous  than  the 
Arabs;  but  in  part  also  from  the  money  left  here  by 
innumerable  pilgrims  and  tourists.  Every  visitor  takes 
away  some  relic  or  souvenir  of  Bethlehem. 

Three  names  stand  out  in  the  annals  of  Bethlehem, 
Ruth,  her  great-grandson  David,  and  David’s  greater 
descendant,  Jesus  the  Christ.  Through  these  streets  in 
her  widow’s  veil  walked  the  young  Moabitess  who  had 
chosen  Israel  and  Israel’s  God.1  In  this  very  square 
perhaps  the  boy  David  played  with  his  young  compan¬ 
ions.2  Who  knows  but  these  walls  may  have  echoed  to 
the  song,  “The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd,”  when  it  was 
sung  for  the  first  time  to  the  accompaniment  of  David’s 
harp?  Yonder  slope  on  the  right  leads  downward  to 
the  city  gate;  and  up  that  very  slope  one  day  climbed 
a  tired  young  woman,  leaning  on  her  husband,  and 
vainly  seeking  a  resting-place,  until  she  found  it  in  a 
stable,  just  under  the  roof  where  we  are  standing;  and 
there  in  a  manger  she  laid  her  first-born  son,  whose 
name  has  given  a  world-wide  glory  to  this  “little  town 

1  Ruth  i :  16-22. 

*  I.  Samuel  xvl :  11-18.  - - 

Position  30.  Map  7. 


100  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

of  Bethlehem.”®  Up  that  same  ascent  in  the  dead  of 
night  came  hastening  the  shepherds  to  look  upon  the 
wondrous  Babe;4  came  later  those  men  from  the  distant 
East,  the  Magi,  led  by  a  star,  to  worship  around  the 
cradle  of  the  child  and  to  lay  their  gifts  at  His  feet.6 
Can  yon  not  see  another  little  company  in  the  night — 
Joseph  and  Mary,  and  their  Babe,  hasting  from  the 
city  to  escape  the  sword  of  Herod?9  They  will  show 
you  just  outside  the  city  a  cave  where  Tis  said  the 
Virgin  mother  tarried  to  nurse  her  infant;  and  where 
as  a  drop  of  mothers  milk  fell  on  the  floor,  a  spring  of 
water  bubbled  up,  and  has  been  flowing  ever  since. 
There  is  a  better  memorial  of  Jesus  in  this  town  than 
any  cave;  it  is  an  English  Protestant  school,  taught  by 
some  devoted  Christian  women,  where  you  can  hear  a 
company  of  little  children  carol  in  English  and  in 
Arabic  the  verses,  “Hark,  the  Herald  Angels  Sing!” 

Some  of  the  events  that  transpired  near  Bethlehem 
have  given  its  surroundings  an  undying  interest.  Let 
us  pass  out  of  the  town  and  look  at  a  scene  which,  at 
a  glance,  takes  us  back  to  the  times  of  the  Old  Testa¬ 
ment. 

Position  40.  A  barley  harvest  near  Bethlehem 

Look  at  that  gray  bearded,  turbaned  farmer  standing 
there  at  ease,  while  everybody  else  is  hard  at  work ! 
Evidently  he  is  the  master  of  the  reapers,  maybe  the 
owner  of  the  field.  His  name  might  be  Boaz,  for 
aught  we  know.1  See  that  donkey,  almost  hidden  from 
view  by  the  sheaves  that  cover  him.  Do  you  notice 
how  primitive  are  the  methods  of  gathering  the  grain, 

s  Luke  ii :  4-7.  *  Matt,  ii :  1-12. 

4  Luke  ii :  8-18.  0  Matt,  ii :  13-15. 

-  1  Ruth  ii :  4. 


Positions  39,  40.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  101 

a  reaping-hook  cutting  down  a  wisp  at  each  stroke, 
and  the  sheaves  made  up  and  bound  by  hand?  Do 
you  see  that  baby  sheltered  from  the  sun  in  his  cradle? 
Perhaps  the  woman  with  an  armful  of  sheaves  is  his 
mother.  These  women  work  like  the  men  from  sun¬ 
rise  to  sunset,  for  a  few  cents,  bringing  their  dinner 
with  them  to  the  field  and  eating  it  during  a  short 
rest  at  noon.  One  of  the  two  women  in  front  has  just 
taken  a  drink  from  the  water- jug  and  is  handing  it  to 
her  companion. 

Ruth  may  have  looked  like  one  of  these  women, 
wrapped  around  the  head  with  a  coarse  veil,  and  dressed 
in  garments  as  common  as  these.  Yet  I  think  that  a 
company  of  harvesters  in  the  days  of  Boaz  and  Ruth 
would  have  been  somewhat  less  ragged  and  common 
than  this,  for  we  must  remember  that  these  are  days 
in  Palestine  of  oppression  and  robbery,  when  the  people 
are  kept  wretchedly  poor;  while  those  were  days  of 
quiet,  and  in  the  main,  of  prosperity.  We  sometimes 
call  the  three  centuries  when  the  judges  ruled  “the  age 
of  anarchy,”  because  our  conception  of  order  implies 
some  central  government.  But  except  at  rare  intervals 
of  invasion  and  subjection  the  Israelites  lived  on  their 
mountain  summits  in  peace,  tilling  their  fields,  obtain¬ 
ing  at  home  all  the  necessities  of  food  and  clothing,  hav¬ 
ing  absolutely  no  foreign  relations,  and  with  little  use 
for  a  government.  They  were  contented,  frugal,  and 
industrious;  and  when  at  times  foreign  foes  held  sway 
over  them,  there  was  always  a  Gideon, a  or  an  Ehud,* 
or  an  Othniel*  to  appear  as  the  champion  of  Israel  and 
break  the  chain  of  oppression.  The  whole  period  of  the 
Judges,  from  Joshua  to  Samuel,  sweeps  before  us  as 
we  look  upon  this  harvest  field.  The  Israelites  lived 


2  Judges  vi :  31-13. 
8  Judges  iii :  15. 

4  Judges  iii :  9. 


Position.  40.  Map  7. 


102  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

alone  upon  their  mountains,  while  waves  of  conquest 
rolled  around  them.  They  tilled  their  fields,  and  occa¬ 
sionally  went  up  to  Shiloh  to  worship  at  the  Tabernacle. 
Each  man  did  what  was  right  in  his  own  eyes*  and 
while  there  was  a  neglect  of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  law,  there  was  upon  the  whole  prosperity  and 
progress. 

Follow  on  the  map  of  Palestine  (Map  7),  the  road 
running  southward  from  J erusalem,  and  fourteen 
miles  beyond  Bethlehem  you  come  to  Hebron  among  the 
mountains  of  Judah.  We  shall  look  at  it  first  from 
the  east,  standing  at  the  spot  marked  41.  Eemember 
while  you  stand  there  that  Bethlehem  and  Jerusalem 
are  off  at  your  right. 

Position  41.  Hebron  from  the  east 

Do  you  know  that  this  is  one  of  the  three  or  four 
oldest  cities  in  the  world  ?  It  was  standing  in  the  days 
of  Abraham,  nearly  four  thousand  years  ago,  and  has 
maintained  an  existence  ever  since.  It  rises  terrace- 
like  upon  the  hill,  and  is  compactly  built,  like  most 
Oriental  cities.  Among  those  crowded  buildings  are 
several  fairly  prosperous  Mohammedan  factories  where 
leather  bottles  and  glass  beads  are  made  for  the  Syrian 
trade. 

Do  you  notice  on  the  right  a  building  somewhat  like 
a  castle,  with  a  tower  at  the  corner  nearest  to  us,  and 
another  tower,  not  quite  so  high,  at  the  further  corner? 
That  is  a  building  which  we  should  like  to  visit,  above 
almost  every  other  place  in  this  land;  for,  without  a 
doubt,  it  contains  the  tombs  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob.1  But  none  save  Mohammedans  are  allowed  to 

•  Judges  xrii :  6.  1  Gen.  xxiii :  1-20 ;  Gen.  xlix :  29-31. 


Positions  40,  41.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


103 


enter  it;  and  even  to  approach  it  will  expose  ns  to 
some  risk  of  onr  lives.  The  Moslems  in  this  city  are 
the  most  bigoted  and  fierce  in  all  Palestine.  No  Chris¬ 
tian  visitor  ever  sleeps  within  the  city  walls.  Some 
friends  of  mine  who  entered  the  city  and  went  as  near 
as  they  were  able  to  go  to  the  mosque,  were  pelted  with 
stones  and  dirt  and  filth,  and  on  their  return  to  camp 
found  their  clothes  covered  with  the  saliva  that  had 
been  spat  on  their  backs!  Those  boys  watching  us  on 
the  stone  fences  would  stone  us  out  of  the  region  if 
they  dared.  The  tree  on  the  left  is  a  fig  tree;  those  on 
the  slopes  of  the  hill  you  will  recognize  as  olives. 

At  this  very  place  Abraham  pitched  his  tent,  and 
built  his  altar — for  the  altar  is  prominent  in  every 
encampment  of  that  grand  old  patriarch.*  Here  he 
received  news  that  his  nephew,  Lot,  had  been  carried 
away  a  captive  by  the  marauding  kings  from  the  east; 
and  from  this  place  he  led  his  little  army  on  a  swift 
march  far  northward,  “even  unto  Dan,”  where  he  made 
a  night  attack,  scattered  the  invaders,  and  recaptured 
their  prisoners  and  booty.*  More  than  any  other  place, 
Hebron  seems  to  have  been  a  home  to  Abraham ;  and  here 
you  know  he  bought  his  family  burial  cave,  which  may 
yet  be  found  beneath  yonder  mosque.  How  strange  it 
seems,  and  yet  we  know  he  walked  up  and  down  these 
slopes. 

Step  across  the  gulf  of  a  thousand  years,  and  you 
find  Hebron  David’s  capital,  while  he  reigned  for  seven 
years  as  King  of  Judah,  before  the  throne  of  Israel 
was  tendered  to  him.4  Absalom’s  conspiracy  against 
David  was  matured  in  that  city,*  and  there  he  was 
crowned  for  a  brief,  inglorious  reign,  ending  in  an  igno- 

4  II.  Sam.  li :  1-4, 11. 

8  II.  Sam.  xv  :  7-12  ;  xviii :  9-17. 


*  Gen.  xiii :  18. 

*  Gen.  xiv  :  1-16. 


Position  41.  Slap  7. 


104  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

ble  death  across  the  J ordan.  Another  thousand 
years,  and  at  the  opening  of  the  New  Testament 
story  we  find  Zachariah  and  Elizabeth  living  in  a  sub¬ 
urb  of  this  city — for  it  was  a  city  of  the  priests.' 
Perhaps  John  the  Baptist  as  a  boy  climbed  these  hills, 
and  gathered  figs  and  olives  from  trees  like  these,  and 
stood  with  awe  at  the  tomb  of  his  great  ancestor, 
Abraham.  Three  great  men,  you  see,  Abraham,  David 
and  John  the  Baptist,  stand  before  us  as  we  look  on 
this  ancient  city. 


Now  let  us  walk  around  to  the  other  side  of  the 
town,  and  look  down  upon  the  mosque. 

Position  42.  The  mosque  of  Machpelah,  the 
burial  place  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob 

We  are  now  looking  in  a  southeasterly  direction. 
The  most  distant  hills  must  be  near  Beersheba.  This 
was  indeed  a  familiar  prospect  to  Abraham  and  his 
family,  as  well  as  for  hundreds  of  those  who  came  after 
him,  for  we  can  be  assured  that  the  outlines  of  those 
distant  hills  were  practically  the  same  then  as  now. 
How  many  times  they  turned  their  eyes  down  this  val¬ 
ley  in  early  morning  and  at  noontime  beneath  the 
same  sun  that  casts  its  shadows  here.  But  notice  more 
closely  this  wall,  for  it  is  all  that  you  will  ever  see  of 
the  building,  even  though  you  should  journey  half  way 
around  the  world  to  visit  it.  There  is  no  cave  on  all 
the  earth  that  the  archaeologist  and  the  Bible  student 
so  greatly  long  to  explore  as  the  cave  that  lies  within 
these  walls;  for  while  we  may  be  doubtful  about  many 
sites,  we  can  be  certain  that  the  cave  beneath  this 

•  Luke  i :  5,  6,  39,  40. 


Positions  41,  42.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


105 


mosque  contains  the  tombs  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  J acob. 
Not  more  than  half  a  dozen  Europeans  in  as  many  cen¬ 
turies  have  been  able  to  penetrate  within  those  walls. 
Do  you  notice  that  the  upper  tiers  of  masonry  are  very 
different  from  the  lower?  Can  you  see  that  the  lower 
courses  have  pilasters  or  buttresses  at  regular  inter¬ 
vals?  You  can  scarcely  see  that  those  lower  stones  are 
dressed  along  the  edges,  as  we  saw  them  in  the  wall  of 
the  Temple  (Position  25).  The  upper  wall  is  modern, 
built  since  the  Mohammedan  occupation;  the  lower  is 
very  ancient,  perhaps  of  the  Herodian  age.  They  tell 
us  that  the  monuments  over  the  tombs  of  the  patriarchs 
are  not  under  yonder  pointed  roof,  but  in  the  court  in 
front  of  it.  The  real  sepulchres  are  below  in  the  cave 
under  the  tombs  that  are  shown,  just  as  in  our  ceme¬ 
teries  the  square  sarcophagi  stand  above  the  graves 
which  they  represent. 

How  far  back  into  the  world’s  annals  this  old  tomb 
takes  us !  More  than  a  thousand  years  before  Homer 
sang,  or  before  Rome  was  founded;  a  time  when  Baby¬ 
lon,  even,  was  young,  when  Egypt  only  of  the  nations 
was  old.  Then  it  was  that  Abraham  bought  this  hill, 
and  buried  in  its  cave  his  wife,  Sarah.1  The  stone  was 
rolled  away  again  and  again,  when  Abraham  himself 
was  buried  there  by  Isaac  and  Ishmael;2  when  Isaac 
was  laid  there  by  Jacob  and  Esau;8  and  for  the  last  time 
when  Jacob  was  placed  there  by  his  twelve  sons.4  The 
old  wanderer  was  laid  here  at  his  own  dying  request.* 

“Not  where  the  Pharaohs  lie  with  incense  wreathed 
Round  awful  galleries  grim  with  shapes  of  wrath, 
Hawk-headed,  vulture-pinioned,  serpent  wreathed, 

Hued  like  an  Indian  moth. 


1  Genesis  xxiii :  1-20.  1  Gen.  1 : 1-13. 

1  Gen.  xxv  :  7-10.  B  Gen.  xlix  :  28-32. 

*  Gen.  xxxv  :  29.  - 

Position  42.  Map  7. 


106  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

“But  lay  him  where  from  forest  or  green  slope 
To  Mamre’s  cave  the  low  wind  breatheth  halm, 

Chanteth  a  litany  of  immortal  hope, 

Singeth  a  funeral  psalm. 

“Bear  him,  ye  bearers,  lay  him  down  at  last 
In  still  Machpelah  down  by  Leah’s  side. 

On  the  pale  bridegroom  shimmering  light  is  cast 
Laid  by  that  awful  bride.” 

— W.  Alexander. 

Turn  back  now  to  the  Palestine  map  (map  7)  and 
find  Bethlehem,  then  follow  eastward  on  the  trail  lead¬ 
ing  to  the  Dead  Sea,  and  you  come  to  Mar  Saba,  a 
famous  convent,  which  we  shall  pause  to  see.  The  spot 
is  marked  43  and  the  red  V  lines  show  that  you  are  to 
look  across  the  brook  Kedron  to  hills  on  its  northern 
side. 

Position  43.  The  lonely  convent  of  Mar  Saba  in 
the  Wilderness  of  Judea 

This  solitary  figure  before  us  stands  on  one  side  of  a 
mighty  gorge,  and  on  the  other  side,  right  on  the  edge 
of  a  terrific  precipice,  hangs  the  convent.  The  brook 
Kedron  flows  through  this  deep  valley  far  below  on  its 
way  to  the  Dead  Sea.  Do  you  see  those  five  tall  but¬ 
tresses  leading  up  to  a  dome  and  a  cupola  ?  They  are  on 
the  wall  of  the  church  which  contains  the  tomb  of  St. 
Saba,  a  monk  of  the  fifth  and  sixth  centuries,  A.  D., 
who  founded  his  monastery  in  this  place,  the  loneliest 
in  all  the  land. 

Hundreds  of  years  ago  a  monk  living  in  this  very 
convent  wrote,  in  Latin,  a  hymn  which  we  all  know  to¬ 
day  in  an  English  translation: 

“Art  thou  weary,  art  thou  languid, 

Art  thou  sore  distressed? 

‘Come  to  me,  saith  One,  ‘and  coming 
Be  at  rest.’  ” 


Positions  42,  43.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


107 


There  is  no  structure  other  than  Bedouins’  tents  be¬ 
tween  here  and  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem,  about  ten 
miles  up  this  same  valley.  See  that  massive  wall  around 
the  convent  on  two  sides !  That  has  kept  off  many  an 
attack  from  the  Bedouins  of  the  desert,  who  have  often 
tried  to  rob  the  monks  of  their  treasures.  Do  you  no¬ 
tice  the  road  climbing  down  the  hill  outside  the  wall? 
That  is  the  only  way  of  approach  to  the  monastery. 
The  road  creeps  down  the  cliff  on  the  other  side  of  the 
wall  out  of  sight  from  our  point  of  view;  and  the  en¬ 
trance  is  through  that  tower  to  the  left  of  the  cupola. 
You  can  just  see  the  top  of  the  arch  at  the  portal. 
Men  are  admitted  as  guests  if  they  arrive  before  sun¬ 
set;  and  they  may  obtain  good  entertainment;  but 
women  are  shut  out,  because  you  know  a  woman  once 
made  trouble  in  the  Garden  of  Eden!  In  the  little 
courtyards  here  and  there  through  those  groups  of  build¬ 
ings  are  fig  trees,  on  which  the  fruit  ripens  earlier  than 
anywhere  else  in  the  land,  from  the  fierce  heat  of  the 
sun  on  these  rocks.  This  monastery,  centuries  ago  a 
place  of  high  sanctity,  has  of  late  become  a  sort  of  penal 
colony,  where  refractory  monks  of  the  Greek  Church 
are  kept  in  a  sort  of  a  prison  discipline.  Do  you  notice 
the  little  balcony  overhanging  the  precipice  close  beside 
the  dome?  One  moment’s  view  from  that  dizzy  height 
was  enough  for  me,  and  suffices  for  most  visitors.  Un¬ 
less  one  has  steady  nerves  his  head  swims  as  he  looks 
down  into  the  valley,  where  the  brook  Kedron  rolls  over 
the  rocks.  We  visit  this  place  solely  on  account  of  its 
romantic,  strange  appearance,  for  it  has  no  connection 
with  the  story  of  the  Bible. 

We  will  look  at  one  more  landscape  in  the  land  of 
Judah,  one  that  is  typical  of  most  of  the  region  west  of 


Position  43.  Map  7. 


108 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


the  Dead  Sea.  Notice  the  point  to  which  we  go,  on  the 
map  of  Jericho  and  its  surroundings  (Map  3).  It  is 
marked  44  and  the  red  lines  tell  ns  that  we  shall  be  look¬ 
ing  a  little  south  of  east,  in  the  direction  of  the  Dead 
Sea. 

Position  44.  Picturesque  Palestine,  the  Wilder¬ 
ness  of  the  scapegoat 

We  are  in  the  land  of  Jeshimon,  or  Solitude.  Jeru¬ 
salem  is  about  six  miles  away  at  our  right,  i.  e.,  at  the 
southwest.  What  a  wild  waste,  a  chaos  of  mountain  and 
valley !  Not  a  brook  rolls  through  these  ravines  to  turn 
their  desert  into  a  garden.  Even  the  Arabs  dare  not 
pitch  their  tents  in  such  a  desolation,  for  they — who 
can  live  almost  anywhere — cannot  find  even  a  wretched 
subsistence  here.  The  solitary  Arab  before  us,  with  his 
musket  on  his  back,  is  a  Bedouin  guard,  who  is  indis¬ 
pensable  for  any  trip  into  the  wilderness.  In  the  dis¬ 
tance  you  can  see  the  Mountains  of  Moab  beyond  the 
Dead  Sea.  This  is  “the  hill  country  of  Judea.”  You 
remember  how  this  receives  its  name,  “The  Wilderness 
of  the  Scapegoat.”  On  the  great  day  of  the  Atonement, 
in  the  fall  of  the  year,  the  High  Priest  chose  two  goats.1 
One  was  slain,  and  his  blood  was  sprinkled  on  the  Ark 
of  the  Covenant,  in  the  Holy  of  Holies  within  the  veil. 
The  other  goat  was  led  out  of  the  Temple  and  the  city 
to  “a  land  not  inhabited,”  and  there  was  left  to  die. 
He  was  supposed  in  the  figurative  action  of  the  Orient 
to  carry  away  the  sins  of  the  people  into  the  wilderness, 
and  never  to  bring  them  back. 

No  doubt  David  looked  on  this  very  landscape  more 
than  once  in  his  wandering  while  a  fugitive  from  the 
jealousy  of  King  Saul.2  We  call  to  mind  the  shepherd, 

1  Leviticus  xvi :  1-26.  2 1.  Samuel  xxiv  :  1-2. 

Position  44.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


109 


the  poet,  the  leader,  whose  harp  may  have  been  tuned 
on  these  very  hills.  Those  years  of  wandering  were  a 
bitter  experience  to  David,  but  they  inspired  some  of 
his  sweetest  psalms  which  have  been  the  heritage  of  be¬ 
lievers  in  trouble  during  all  the  centuries  since  his  day; 
and  withal  they  were  a  discipline  to  his  character,  for 
in  the  hard  school  of  adversity  he  learned  how  to  reign. 

We  may  associate  another  and  a  greater  name  than 
David  with  this  wilderness.  In  some  such  region  as 
this — perhaps  even  now  in  the  field  of  our  vision — our 
Lord  fasted  and  was  tempted.*  It  was  not  strange  that 
after  the  sudden  and  overwhelming  consciousness  of  His 
personality  and  His  mission  coming  upon  Him  at  His 
baptism,  He  should  go  forth  into  a  lonely  desert  place 
to  calm  His  spirit  and  to  meditate  upon  His  work.  Nor 
was  it  strange  that  He  should  fast ;  for  in  such  an  inten¬ 
sity  of  feeling  He  might  forget  the  body  and  its  needs, 
even  for  days  and  days.  And  the  first  temptation  was 
thoroughly  in  accord  with  His  surroundings ;  when  ten¬ 
sion  gave  way,  and  hunger  came  upon  Him,  and  He 
realized  that  He  was  in  the  desert  with  no  means  of  sup¬ 
plying  His  bodily  needs;  naturally  the  suggestion  came 
to  Him  to  use  this  newly  possessed  power  of  working 
miracles  for  the  support  of  His  own  life.  How  the 
solemn  and  awful  loneliness  of  nature  harmonized  with 
the  deeper  solitariness  of  His  own  soul !  He  in  this  Wil¬ 
derness  of  the  Scapegoat  was  the  One  who  bore  our  sins 
afar,  into  a  land  not  inhabited,  so  far  that  they  return 
no  more  to  burden  our  hearts  or  to  defile  our  conscience. 

The  ride  down  the  steep  descent  from  the  mountains 
of  Judea  to  the  plain  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  one  of  the  most 
tiresome  and  trying  in  all  the  land.  In  tracing  the 


•  Matt,  i r :  1-11. 


Position  44.  Mans  3*  1 . 


110 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLT  LAND 


route  on  the  map,  Jericho  and  its  surroundings  (Map  3) 
it  is  hard  to  realize  how  much  of  a  descent  it  is  from 
the  mountain  ridge  to  the  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea,  where 
we  shall  find  ourselves  next.  Look  for  the  forty-fifth 
standpoint  at  the  northern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea,  on  the 
general  map  of  Palestine  (Map  7),  and  also  on  the 
special  map  3. 

Position  45.  On  the  north  shore  of  the  Dead 
Sea 

Do  you  know  that  these  men  on  horseback  are  at  the 
very  lowest  spot  of  the  earth’s  surface  open  to  the  sky? 
This  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  nearly  1,300  feet  below 
the  level  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  nearer  the  centre 
of  the  earth  than  any  other  place  in  the  world.  Those 
hills  which  you  see  in  the  distance  are  the  mountains  of 
Judea,  for  we  are  looking  from  the  northern  shore  of 
the  Dead  Sea  toward  the  southwest,  as  our  maps  show. 
The  water  is  shallow  just  here,  and  those  two  men  yon¬ 
der  in  the  edge  of  the  sea  could  wade  out  a  long  distance 
if  they  could  only  stand  upright  in  the  water;  but  you 
know  that  it  is  very  dense  and  one  can  neither  walk  in 
it  up  to  his  waist  nor  sink  into  it.  Though  shallow 
just  before  us,  off  to  our  left,  in  the  northeastern  part 
of  this  sea,  the  water  is  1,300  feet  deep.  The  beach  you 
notice  is  of  sand  and  small  pebbles;  notice  how  it  is 
dented  by  the  hoofs  of  horses.  You  know  that  the  old 
belief  was  that  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  with  three  other 
cities,  are  lying  beneath  these  waters.1  Indeed,  one 
imaginative  explorer  thought  that  he  had  found  their 
ruins,  all  crusted  over  with  salt.  But  there  is  no  hint 
for  this  opinion  in  the  Bible  narrative;  indeed  there  is 
strong  evidence  against  it,  for  if  Abraham  could  see  the 

1  Genesis  xix  :  24,  25. 

Position  45.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


111 


plain  and  its  cities  from  his  tenting  place  near  Hebron, 
they  could  not  have  stood  where  the  sea  now  lies.2  Just 
north  of  the  Dead  Sea  there  is  a  great  bend  in  the  River 
Jordan,  which  is  now  supposed  to  surround  the  plain 
where  the  five  villages — not  cities  in  the  modern  sense — 
were  located. 

This  sea  is  not  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  yet  many 
of  the  great  men  in  its  history  must  have  looked  upon 
it.  Abraham  saw  it  from  yonder  heights,  and  so  did 
David  many  times  in  his  wanderings.  Moses  looked 
down  upon  it  from  Mount  Nebo  in  his  dying  view  of 
the  Promised  Land;*  Joshua  and  his  army  saw  it  as 
they  descended  from  the  table-lands  of  Moab  down  to 
the  plain  of  Jordan.  Elijah  and  Elisha  must  have 
viewed  it,  for  they  often  visited  Jericho,  only  six  miles 
away  on  the  north.4  Our  Lord,  as  he  went  up  from 
Jericho  on  his  last  visit  to  Jerusalem  could  have  seen 
this  blue  surface.6  Indeed,  there  is  a  wonderful  view 
of  it  from  the  summit  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  where  the 
blue  lake  looks  as  though  it  might  be  three  or  four  miles 
distant,  down  in  the  valley,  but  it  is  eighteen  miles 
away,  though  the  spectator  can  scarcely  believe  it. 

From  the  plain  at  the  head  of  the  Dead  Sea  we  turn 
northward,  cross  the  River  J ordan,  and  enter  the  land  of 
Moab.  Remember  the  natural  divisions  of  the  land  of 
Palestine,  the  Sea  Coast  Plain,  the  Shephelah,  or  foot 
hills,  the  Mountain  Region,  the  Jordan  Yalley,  and  the 
Eastern  Table  Land.  The  latter,  the  land  of  Moab,  east 
of  the  River  Jordan,  and  a  little  north  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
is  our  next  destination.  The  spot  from  which  we  are  to 
get  our  next  outlook  is  marked  46  and  from  it  you  find 

*  II.  Kings  ii :  4,  6. 

*  Luke  xix  :  1,  28,  29. 

Position.  45.  Maps  3,  7. 


s  Gen.  xix  :  27,  28. 

*  Deut.  xxxiv  :  1-3. 


112 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


Y  lines  extending  westward  across  the  river.  (See 
Maps  3  and  7.) 

Position  46.  Jordan  and  the  “  Promised  Land,” 
west  from  the  cliffs  of  Moab 

And  that  is  the  River  Jordan.  How  brown  and  mnddy 
it  looks.  We  are  here  in  the  spring,  when  from  the 
melting  of  the  snow  on  the  Lebanon  Mountains,  and 
from  the  spring  rains  throughout  the  land,  the  Jordan 
is  swollen  far  beyond  its  ordinary  volume,  and  turbid 
with  the  mud  washed  down  the  hillsides.  You  notice 
that  we  are  looking  down  the  stream,  but  in  a  westerly 
direction,  as  the  river  bends  just  here.  At  our  feet 
is  the  plateau  of  the  cliffs  of  Moab,  beyond  is  the  plain 
of  Jordan,  upon  which  is  the  site  of  ancient  Jericho. 
That  range  in  the  distance  belongs  to  the  J udean  moun¬ 
tain  system  flanking  the  Plain  of  Jericho  on  the  west. 
So  you  can  take  in  at  one  view  three  of  the  natural  di¬ 
visions  of  the  land,  the  Mountain  region,  the  Jordan 
Valley  and  the  Eastern  Table  Land.  Jericho — which 
we  shall  see  later — lies  just  beyond  our  vision  on  the 
right.  Do  you  notice  that  there  is  a  lower  level  of  the 
plain  near  the  river,  and  in  the  distance  a  higher  ter¬ 
race?  The  lower  plain  is  watered  by  the  river,  the  up¬ 
per  terrace  is  apt  to  be  dry,  and  has  great  areas  of 
desert.  Give  this  land  a  good  government,  interested 
in  the  welfare  of  the  people,  and  those  white  spaces  will 
soon  become  green  from  tillage  through  irrigation. 

What  are  the  scenes  in  the  past  that  rise  before  us 
as  we  look  over  this  landscape?  The  commanding  fig¬ 
ure  of  Moses  seems  to  stand  on  the  brow  of  this  preci¬ 
pice,  viewing  the  land  of  promise.  But  Moses’  mount 
of  vision  was  a  loftier  point,  further  back  from  the 
river,  from  which  he  could  turn  northward  and  south- 

Position  46.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


113 


ward  and  see  all  the  land  from  Mount  Hermon  to  the 
lower  end  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  westward  from  his 
vantage  point  he  could  look  over  those  mountains  of 
Israel  which  bar  onr  view,  and  conld  see  the  bine 
Mediterranean  beyond  them.1  What  a  life  was  that  of 
Moses,  forty  years  in  Egypt  growing  up  to  his  destiny, 
forty  years  again  accomplishing  it — greatest  among 
leaders,  legislators  and  creators  of  nations,  for  his  work 
abides  in  the  world  as  the  foundation  of  modern  law. 
It  was  not  far  from  here  that  the  host  marched  over  the 
dry  bed  of  Jordan  led  by  the  Ark  of  the  Lord;2  and 
somewhere  near,  perhaps  on  the  upper  terrace,  they 
pitched  their  camp.  A  very  different  people  were  they 
from  their  fathers,  the  unorganized  mob  that  had  come 
out  of  Egypt.  In  the  wilderness  of  Mount  Sinai  they 
learned  self-reliance,  and  discipline,  and  courage;  and 
they  passed  over  J ordan  a  conquering  host. 

Let  us  climb  down  from  this  cliff  in  the  land  of  Moab, 
cross  over,  and  take  a  nearer  view  of  the  River  Jordan, 
looking  down  from  yonder  point  where  the  river  bends 
southward.  People  are  there  taking  part  in  a  bap¬ 
tismal  service. 

Position  47.  Baptising  in  the  Jordan 

Does  the  Jordan  look  at  all  as  you  had  expected  it  to 
look?  How  brown  and  muddy  is  its  current — not  at 
all  like  the  blue  waters  of  Switzerland,  or  some  romantic 
streams  in  America!  See  the  bushes  and  trees  that  it 
has  torn  away  from  its  banks  and  carried  down  its  tide ! 
You  remember  that  the  word  Jordan  means  “descender,” 
and  that  it  earns  its  name,  for  it  falls  more  than  three 
thousand  feet  in  a  distance  of  less  than  one  hundred 


1  Deut.  xxxlv  :  1-4. 
*  Joshua  iv  :  19-23. 


Positions  46,  47.  Maps  3,  7. 


114 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


and  fifty  miles,  or  more  than  twenty  feet  to  a  single 
mile.  No  vessel  has  ever  sailed  up  or  down  its  cur¬ 
rent  for  any  distance.  One  man  traversed  it  with  a 
canoe,  rather  than  in  it,  for  he  carried  his  canoe  almost 
a  quarter  of  the  voyage!  It  has  no  romantic  dells  or 
grassy  slopes,  and  places  are  few  where  it  can  even  be 
seen,  much  less  reached  by  the  traveler.  Yet  this  eddy¬ 
ing  stream  before  us  possesses  an  interest  deeper  than 
that  of  mere  beauty  in  appearance.  To  untold  millions 
of  people  it  is  a  sacred  river  with  holy  memories.  Thous¬ 
ands  of  pilgrims  every  year,  at  untold  sacrifice,  come 
from  distant  lands  to  bathe  in  its  waters,  no  matter  how 
discolored  they  may  be.  Many  come  to  it  for  the  holy 
rite  of  baptism,  believing  that  its  water  will  surely  wash 
away  their  sins.  Look  how  sincere  and  reverent  are  the 
pair  standing  in  the  water!  To  them  this  is  a  holy 
service,  whatever  it  may  be  to  those  who  witness  it  from 
the  shore.  Yonder  Arab,  with  his  sword,  is  probably 
the  “guard,”  who  receives  blackmail  for  protecting  the 
pilgrims  from  his  own  tribe.  Notice  the  difference  of 
attire  on  the  other  standing  figures. 

Do  you  suppose  that  ihe  people  who  thronged  around 
John  the  Baptist  at  this  place  were  dressed  like  these 
people?  No  one  can  tell  to  a  certainty  whether  the 
garb  worn  in  those  days  throughout  Palestine  was  that 
now  used  by  Orientals,  or  that  portrayed  on  the  ancient 
Greek  and  Eoman  monuments,  or  something  different 
from  both.  But  whatever  the  dress,  here  or  near  here, 
John  the  Baptist  sounded  forth  his  message  and  per¬ 
formed  the  sacred  rite,1  which  represented  the  putting 
away  of  sin  and  a  surrender  to  the  will  of  God.  May 
not  this  modern  baptism  on  which  we  are  looking  re¬ 
call  to  our  thoughts  that  wonderful  scene  when  the 

1  Matt,  iii :  1-6. 

Position  47.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


115 


herald  and  his  long-promised  king,  John  the  Baptist 
and  Jesns  the  Messiah,  stood  together  beside  this  very 
stream,  when  the  mystic  Dove  hnng  in  the  air,  and  a 
voice  was  heard  from  the  heavens,  “This  is  my  beloved 
Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased.”2 

From  the  River  Jordan  we  turn  westward  toward 
the  site  of  ancient  Jericho,  six  or  eight  miles  distant. 
Notice  on  the  special  map  of  Jericho  (Map  3)  the  point 
to  which  we  go  and  the  direction  in  which  we  shall 
look  from  that  point.  The  red  lines  indicate  that  we 
are  to  face  nearly  westward,  toward  the  traditional 
Mount  of  Temptation. 

Position  48.  The  mountains  of  Judea  from  the 
plain  of  Jericho 

What  a  wealth  of  wild  flowers !  Can  you  see  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountains  the  natural  terrace  rising  above 
the  plain?  It  was  on  that  higher  level  that  Jericho 
stood  when  Joshua  entered  this  land.  Farther  to  the 
right,  near  the  mountain’s  base,  is  the  “Fountain  of 
Elisha.”  Both  this  fountain  and  the  city  of  ancient 
Jericho  we  are  to  visit  soon.  We  cannot  see  Eriha 
the  wretched  successor  of  Jericho,  which  is  located  at 
some  distance  from  its  ancient  site.  Do  you  notice  the 
similarity  of  names,  Jericho  and  Eriha?  But  those 
mountains  remain,  looking  down  upon  the  ruins  and  the 
hovels,  just  as  they  looked  down  upon  the  old  “city  of 
palm  trees.”1  There  are  no  palm  trees  at  Jericho  now, 
and  few  throughout  Palestine,  though  the  palm  was  an¬ 
ciently  one  of  the  emblems  of  the  land.  Look  closely 
at  yonder  mountain;  can  you  discern  the  caves  that 
everywhere  are  hollowed  out  in  its  sides?  They  are 


Poaltlona  47,  48.  Mapat  3,  7. 


»  Matt,  iii :  13-17. 
1  Judges  i :  16. 


116 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


very  ancient,  and  in  the  ages  of  monasticism  were  occu¬ 
pied  by  hermits.  That  is  Mount  Quarantania.  The 
word  sounds  a  little  like  “quarantine,”  which  is  derived 
from  its  name,  and  means  “forty  days.”  Tradition  says 
that  the  forty  days’  fast  of  Jesus  after  his  baptism 
was  observed  on  this  mountain,  and  that  from  its  sum¬ 
mit  the  tempter  showed  Him  “all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world  and  the  glory  of  them.”2  But  there  is  no  evidence 
except  tradition  in  favor  of  the  locality.  To  my  mind 
this  mountain  was,  in  the  time  of  Christ,  too  near  a 
city,  and  too  much  visited  by  men — even  though  its  visi¬ 
tors  were  mostly  robbers — to  be  “the  wilderness”  of  the 
fasting  and  temptation.  Yet  the  mountain  before  us 
calls  up  a  long  line  of  events  in  Bible  story  upon  which 
it  looked.  It  saw  the  host  of  Israel  march  across  the 
river  Jordan  and  pitch  their  camp  somewhere  on  this 
plateau.*  It  saw  that  host  in  solemn  procession  walk 
around  the  city  walls,  led  by  a  company  of  priests  blow¬ 
ing  trumpets  of  rams’  horns.4  It  beheld  those  walls 
of  Jericho  falling  down  to  earth,  while  the  shouts  of 
Israel  rose  to  the  sky.  It  has  witnessed  the  changes  that 
have  swept  across  this  plain  in  the  centuries  of  Old 
Testament  history,  and  it  looks  down  upon  its  desola¬ 
tion  now.  Perhaps  it  will  yet  behold  that  plain  once 
more  watered  and  cultivated  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
and  new  cities  rising  in  place  of  the  old  wastes. 

Hear  the  foot  of  the  mountain  off  at  our  left,  where 
the  road  begins  to  climb  from  this  Jordan  Valley  to 
the  mountain  region,  there  is  a  reservoir  fed  by  a  power¬ 
ful  spring.  We  will  pause  at  that  place,  as  does  every 
traveler. 

1  Matt,  iv  :  8.  8  Joshua  iv  :  19. 

■  ■  ■■  ■  *  Joshua  vi :  8, 9. 

Position  48.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


117 


Position  49-  The  Fountain  of  Elisha 

Here  certainly  is  something  that  connects  itself  di¬ 
rectly  with  the  Bible  story.  Of  all  the  requisites  for  liv¬ 
ing  in  the  East;  the  well  or  the  fountain  of  every  city 
is  apt  to  be  the  most  enduring.  There  is  generally  one 
water  supply  for  the  town,  and  to  it  the  women,  es¬ 
pecially,  resort  with  their  jars  borne  on  head  or  shoul¬ 
der.  How,  this  is  the  only  spring  of  good  water  to  be 
found  anywhere  near  either  ancient  or  modern  Jericho. 
It  is  not  a  reservoir,  but  a  large  and  copious  natural 
spring,  bubbling  up  from  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The 
natives  call  it  “The  Sultanas  Spring,”  as  if  to  express 
its  supremacy  over  all  the  water  on  the  plain.  As  this 
is  the  only  spring  of  any  consequence  in  this  region 
which  could  have  supplied  ancient  J ericho,  there  is  little 
reason  to  doubt  that  it  is  the  spring  which  Elisha  the 
Prophet  healed.  Can  you  not  see  the  prophet  standing 
here,  a  jar  filled  with  salt  in  his  hand — some  such  jar 
as  that  man  yonder  is  just  dipping  into  the  pool.  He 
sprinkles  the  salt  upon  the  water — salt,  that  which  has 
hitherto  made  the  water  useless!  A  wonderful  change 
comes  across  the  fountain,  it  pours  forth  bitter  water 
no  more,  but  sweet  and  fresh;  and  sweet  and  fresh  it 
has  continued  for  twenty-seven  hundred  years  since 
that  day.1  Here  is  the  fountain  beside  the  main  road 
leading  up  the  mountain  toward  Bethel  and  Shechem. 
What  countless  passers-by — prophets,  priests,  kings, 
crusaders — have  dipped  their  jars  into  this  refreshing 
tide,  and  have  drunk  from  it !  Doubtless  the  water  that 
was  on  the  table  of  Zaccheus  when  he  entertained  our 
Lord  at  his  house,  came  from  this  ancient  spring.  Do 
you  know  that  King  Herod,  who  slaughtered  the  infants 
of  Bethlehem,  and  who  vainly  strove  to  slay  the  infant 

1 II.  Kings  ii :  19-22. 

Position  49.  Maps  3,  7. 


118  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Christ,  passed  the  last  months  of  his  life  here  at  Jericho  ? 
— he,  too,  must  have  drunk  from  this  fountain ! 

Now  let  us  climb  a  part  of  the  way  up  the  mountain, 
take  our  seat  upon  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  aqueduct,  and 
look  back  upon  the  plain.  Let  us  not  forget  our  map 
(Map  3).  You  see  by  it  we  shall  then  be  looking  south¬ 
east,  across  the  northern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  to  the 
mountains  at  the  east  of  the  Jordan. 

Position  50.  The  plain  of  the  Jordan,  southeast 
from  the  ruins  of  ancient  Jericho 

What  a  panorama  is  this  spread  out  before  us !  Yon¬ 
der  on  the  right  we  can  see  the  head  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  beyond  it  the  long  line  of  the  hills  of  Moab.  There 
is  the  Jordan,  after  its  long  wandering  finding  rest  in 
the  sea.  Can  you  see  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river,  here 
and  there  touched  by  the  sunlight?  See  the  once  fruit¬ 
ful  plain  of  the  Jordan  with  only  stunted  trees  and 
bushes  growing  upon  it.  Do  you  notice  where  the  plain 
rises  nearer  us,  into  a  higher  plateau,  over  which  a  path 
runs?  There  stood  the  Old  Testament  city  of  Jericho. 
All  that  is  left  of  it  now  are  those  ruined  heaps,  and 
those  are  later  than  the  Jericho  of  the  Old  Testament. 
This  part  of  an  old  aqueduct  on  which  these  men  are 
resting  was  probably  here  in  Christ’s  time,  as  its  founda¬ 
tions  can  be  traced  out  over  the  plain  to  the  site  of  the 
New  Testament  Jericho,  which  as  you  will  see  by  the 
map,  is  in  the  extreme  right  of  our  view.  The  build¬ 
ing  stones  of  the  later  city  have  been  so  completely 
removed  by  the  shiftless  Bedouins  that  only  traces  of 
the  foundations,  level  with  the  ground,  can  be  found. 
To  the  left  in  the  distance  are  the  few  buildings  that 
make  up  modern  Jericho. 


Positions  49,  50.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


119 


I  wonder  what  those  two  Arabs  are  talking  about? 
We  may  be  sure  that  it  is  not  what  we  are  recalling,  the 
mighty  scenes  that  were  enacted  on  that  broad  terrace 
at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  Old  Jericho  rises  on  that 
plain,  with  walls  defying  the  attack  of  Joshua.1  He 
cannot  stop  to  lay  siege  to  the  city,  and  to  starve  it 
into  surrender,  for  that  would  give  his  enemies  in  the 
mountain  region  time  to  combine  against  him.  The 
walls  must  be  taken  by  assault,  but  it  is  an  assault  such 
as  the  art  of  war  has  never  seen  before  or  since.  Can 
you  not  see  the  army  of  Israel  marching  around  those 
devoted  walls,  while  from  a  window  floats  a  scarlet 
cord  swaying  in  the  breeze?2  We  see  the  collapse  of 
those  defences,  and  the  destruction  of  the  city.  We  see 
that  plain  lying  desolate,  as  desolate  as  it  lies  to-day, 
until  five  hundred  and  thirty  years  after  Joshua’s  curse, 
its  walls  and  gates  arise  once  more,  built  on  new-made 
graves.*  Who  are  those  two  stately  figures  that  we  see 
walking  together  down  yonder  path  toward  the  river? 
They  are  Elijah,  the  destroyer  of  the  old,  and  Elisha, 
the  builder  of  the  new;  and  yonder  by  those  banks  of 
Jordan  waits  the  fiery  chariot  that  shall  part  them.4 
Nine  centuries  more,  and  we  look  down  on  another 
scene  at  the  gate  of  Jericho.*  What  is  that  throng 
coming  up  from  the  plain?  Who  is  that  little  man 
climbing  a  sycamore  tree  to  see  a  Stranger  in  the  centre 
of  that  crowd?  What  blind  beggar  is  that  crying  out 
by  the  wayside,  and  rushing  forward  with  such  eager¬ 
ness  that  he  leaves  his  garment?  What  face  is  that 
which  looks  up  at  Zaccheus  in  the  tree,  and  down  at 
Bartimeus  by  the  gate,  with  an  invitation  to  each? 
Joshua,  Rahab,  Hiel,  Elisha,  Zaccheus,  Bartimeus, 

1  Joshua  vi :  1.  4  II.  Kings  ii :  4-12.  [Mark  x  :  46. 

*  Joshua  ii :  18  ;  Joshua  vi :  11-16.  ®  Luke  xviii :  35  ;  xix :  1-10 ; 

*  Joshua  vi :  26 ;  I.  Kings  xvi :  33,  34. 


Position  SO.  Map*  3,  7. 


120  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Jesus — these  are  the  forms  that  rise  to  our  view  as  we 
look  down  on  the  desolate  ruin  of  Jericho ! 

Now  find  on  the  map  of  Jericho  (Map  3)  the  brook 
Cherith  (called  to-day  the  Wady  Kelt).  It  enters  the 
Jordan  Valley  just  a  little  to  the  south  of  Jericho,  and 
in  its  progress  down  the  mountains  has  hollowed  out 
one  of  the  most  wonderful  chasms  in  this  land,  torn 
as  the  land  is  with  deep  valleys.  Let  us  pause  in  our 
climb  up  through  the  mountains  to  look  at  it. 

Position  51.  The  marvelous  gorge  of  Brook 
Cherith,  and  Elijah  Convent 

You  can  almost  hear  the  echo  of  the  Arab’s  gun  that 
is  just  sending  out  its  little  cloud  of  smoke!  How 
clearly  the  strata  of  the  rocks  appear  in  yonder  cliff! 
Look  at  that  convent,  nestled  in  the  crevice !  Do  you 
notice  how  closely  the  dome  over  its  chapel  hugs  the 
overhanging  rocks?  Can  you  trace  the  path  up  from 
the  valley  to  the  convent,  and  the  entrance  to  it  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliff?  See  that  cave  hollowed  out  just  above ! 
If  Elijah  sought  a  refuge  there  from  the  wrath  of  King 
Ahab,  he  was  well  hidden.1  How  suddenly  that  mighty 
prophet  bursts  upon  the  view,  with  his  message  of 
warning,  and  then  as  suddenly  departs  to  his  hiding 
place !  Can  you  not  picture  him  sitting  alone  in  yon¬ 
der  cave,  sheltered  by  the  mighty  walls  around,  feeding 
upon  the  scanty  dole  brought  by  the  ravens !  See  him 
bending  over  the  brook,  drinking  from  his  hands,  hol¬ 
lowed  out  into  a  cup !  How  he  watches  that  stream, 
his  only  supply,  sink  into  narrower  channels  day  after 
day.  If  ever  lived  a  man  of  mighty  faith,  that  man 
was  Elijah;  and  his  faith  was  nourished  by  his  prayer, 
for  he  dwelt  in  fellowship  with  the  Highest. 

1  I.  Kings  xvii :  1-6. 


Positions  50,  51.  Maps  3,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


121 


Our  next  destination  is  Ramah,  the  home  of  the 
prophet  Samuel.  Its  location  is  one  of  the  unsettled 
questions  of  Biblical  topography.  Neby  Samwil,  four 
miles  north  of  Jerusalem,  Br  Ram,  five  miles  north  of 
Jerusalem,  and  Ram-allah,  nine  miles  north  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  are  three  of  the  most  prominent  places  claimed  as 
Ramah,  but  there  are  six  more,  nine  in  all,  having  their 
advocates.  We  decide  upon  Ram-allah,  and  shall  visit 
that  city,  among  the  mountains  of  Ephraim. 

Notice  our  route  on  the  map  of  Palestine  (Map  7). 

Position  52.  A  street  in  Ramah 

Our  coming  seems  to  attract  attention  here.  Every¬ 
body  is  looking  straight  at  us.  Rather  embarrassing, 
isn’t  it — to  be  stared  at  by  such  a  crowd!  Here,  now, 
is  a  typical  street  in  an  Oriental  city.  Notice  how  ir¬ 
regular,  narrow  and  crooked  it  is.  People  in  this  coun¬ 
try  seem  to  build  their  houses  in  whatever  angle  to  the 
street  they  may  please,  and  to  take  up  as  much  of  the 
roadway  as  they  desire.  How  do  they  get  into  these 
houses  ?  Where  is  the  front  door  ?  Generally  the  door 
opens  through  a  high  wall  upon  a  little  court,  and  one 
must  cross  the  court  in  order  to  reach  the  house.  How 
ragged  and  dirty  many  of  these  people  are!  And  do 
you  notice  how  varied  are  their  head-coverings — fez 
caps,  turbans  of  different  colors,  sometimes  the  fez 
and  the  turban  together  ?  We  see  that  most  ancient  and 
common  of  burden-bearers,  the  ass  with  its  colt.  As 
usual,  there  are  few  women  in  the  crowd.  You  can 
see  one  or  two  up  in  the  balcony — one  of  them  with  her 
little  child.  That  old  patriarch,  too,  has  come  out  on 
the  balcony  to  see  the  strangers.  You  would  often  find 
children  playing  in  the  street  here,  though.  Just  at 
this  moment  their  elders  occupy  the  ground.  Wooden 


Position  62.  Map  7. 


122 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


tops  are  favorite  toys  for  small  boys;  jackstones  are 
more  enjoyed  by  little  girls.  Both  boys  and  girls  play 
see-saw  and  hide-and-seek  in  much  the  same  way  as  chil¬ 
dren  elsewhere. 

I  suppose  that  Ramah  may  have  looked  somewhat  like 
this  in  the  days  of  the  judges,  when  Samuel  was  born 
and  lived,  and  died  here.  I  doubt,  however,  whether 
Elkanah,  Samuel’s  father,  and  his  two  wives,  Hannah 
and  Peninnah,  stood  on  an  iron-railed  balcony  on  the 
upper  story  of  their  home,  for  iron  was  much  scarcer 
in  ancient  days  than  it  is  now.  In  some  such  house 
as  these,  perhaps,  Samuel  was  born,  for  his  father 
Elkanah  was  a  leading  man  in  this  place.1  Do  you  see 
Hannah  leading  her  little  boy  through  the  street,  to  take 
him  to  Shiloh,  about  twenty  miles  to  the  north?2  She 
comes  back  alone,  for  she  has  left  her  boy  there  in  the 
Tabernacle,  lent  to  the  Lord.  How  the  heart  of  that 
lonely  mother  here  in  Ramah  must  have  thrilled  with 
joy  when  the  news  was  borne  to  her  that  the  long  silence 
of  prophecy  was  broken,  and  that  the  Lord  had  spoken 
to  her  boy  in  Shiloh  !*  Her  son  came  back,  and  from 
their  house  here  in  Ramah  went  forth  as  judge  ruling 
the  land.4  After  Gideon’s  day,  no  such  judge  arose  in 
Israel  as  Samuel,  with  undisputed  authority  throughout 
the  Twelve  Tribes.  He  turned  back  the  tide  of  Philis¬ 
tine  rule,  and  led  his  backslidden  people  to  the  service 
of  their  God.  Do  you  see  that  tall  young  Benjamite, 
Saul,  the  son  of  Kish,  who  has  come  to  Ramah  to 
inquire  about  his  father’s  lost  asses,  and  who  on  some 
such  house-roof  as  these  was  anointed  King  of  Israel 
by  Samuel?8  Here,  too,  is  a  company  of  young  men, 
“sons  of  the  prophets,”  students  in  the  word  of  the 

1 1.  Sam.  i :  1-3,  19,  20. 

2  I.  Sam.  i :  22-28. 


Position  52.  Map  7. 


*  I.  Sam.  iii :  1-21. 

4  I.  Sam.  vii :  15-17. 

‘  I.  Sam.  ix :  1 ;  x :  1. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


123 


Lord,  gathered  around  Samuel.*  David  is  among  them 
for  a  time,  joining  in  their  songs  and  services — and  so 
perhaps  are  Gad  and  Nathan,  Asaph  and  Heman — 
prophets  and  poets  of  the  next  generation.  These  are 
the  forms  out  of  the  past  that  rise  in  this  city  of  Eamah. 

Following  the  main  road  over  the  mountains  north¬ 
ward,  we  approach  Bethel,  twelve  miles  from  Jerusalem. 
Here  we  witness  the  labor  of  a  company  of  people  in  a 
field.  Consult  the  general  map  of  Palestine  and  you 
will  find  our  fifty-third  standpoint  definitely  marked, 
with  guide  lines  telling  that  we  are  to  look  south  in 
the  direction  of  Jerusalem. 

Position  53.  Gathering  tares  from  wheat  in  the 
stony  fields  of  Bethel 

How  vividly  this  scene  brings  before  us  the  parable 
of  our  Lord!  Yonder  stands  “the  householder”:1  you 
can  distinguish  him  by  his  dress  and  dignity  of  carriage. 
Scattered  over  the  field  are  “the  servants.”  They  are 
mostly  women,  you  perceive,  for  in  this  land  the  labors 
of  the  field  as  well  as  of  the  house  are  wrought  by  the 
weaker  sex.  One  woman,  you  see,  is  just  wrapping  her 
veil  around  her  face,  for  she  is  quite  near  to  us,  and  we 
are  strangers.  The  Arab  with  a  gun,  on  that  heap  of 
stones,  might  be  a  guard  watching  for  robbers,  but  in 
this  case  I  suspect  that  he  is  merely  a  visitor.  You  and 
I  cannot  distinguish  between  the  tares  and  the  wheat, 
but  those  sharp-eyed  workers  can;  and  that  farmer  yon¬ 
der  finds  it  a  task  of  infinite  trouble  to  weed  out  the 
false  from  the  true.  In  our  country  we  should  devise 
some  machine  to  screen  them  apart,  but  here  labor  is 
cheap,  not  over  six  to  ten  cents  per  day,  and  everything 
is  done  by  hand. 

8  I.  Sam.  xix  :  18-24. 

1  Matt,  xiil :  24-30.  - 

Positions  52,  53.  Map  7. 


124  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

How  plain  the  parable  becomes  when  we  see  it  all 
wrought  before  our  eyes!  The  wheat  has  come  up 
thinly  in  this  stony  ground,  and  so  reminds  us,  too,  of 
the  parable  of  the  sower.2  Why,  do  you  suppose,  did 
J esus  employ  parables  so  constantly  in  teaching  ? 
Partly  to  arrest  attention,  and  to  set  His  hearers  to 
thinking;  partly  that  they  might  ever  after  find  lessons 
concerning  the  spirit  in  common  life.  If  those  workers 
in  the  field  had  heard  Jesus  narrate  this  parable,  they 
would  remember  it — would  they  not — as  they  patiently 
sort  out  the  tares  from  the  wheat  ? 

Now  look  across  the  field  to  yonder  hill.  That  is 
Bethel,  “The  Lord’s  House.”  First,  though,  the  dis¬ 
tant  prospect  is  well  worth  more  than  a  passing  glance. 
We  are  looking  a  little  west  of  south  over  the  summits 
of  the  Judean  mountains.  The  second  elevation  on  our 
left  is  the  northeastern  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives. 
How  often  it  has  thus  been  pointed  out  to  the  Israelites 
on  their  way  from  Samaria  and  Galilee  to  a  feast  at 
Jerusalem.  The  elevations  still  farther  away,  more  to 
the  right,  must  be  situated  beyond  Bethlehem,  near  Heb¬ 
ron.  But  as  for  this  little  modern  town  before  us,  it  is 
small  and  poor,  yet  I  suppose  it  is  more  of  a  place  than 
Abraham  found  here  when  he  paused  on  his  journey 
southward  from  Shechem,  and  here  reared  his  tents 
and  his  altar — the  first  altar  named  in  this  land.*  It 
was  merely  a  heap  of  stones — and  you  see  there  are 
plenty  of  them — only  a  little  more  carefully  piled  up 
than  the  heap  yonder  where  the  Arab  stands,  but  it 
brought  Abraham  just  as  near  to  his  God  as  though  it 
were  wrought  out  of  marble.  This  was  one  of  the  homes 
of  Abraham,  and  his  tent  may  have  been  pitched  on 
this  very  field,  though  more  likely  on  the  slope  of  yon¬ 
der  hill. 


Position  53.  Map  7. 


2  Luke  viii :  6. 

8  Genesis  xii :  6-8  ;  xiii :  3,  4. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


125 


A  hundred  and  fifty  years  later,  a  lonely  man  walked 
up  this  hill  leaning  upon  his  staff,  and  lay  down  to  sleep, 
his  head  pillowed  upon  stones  like  these  at  our  feet.4 
Glorious  the  vision  that  arose  before  Jacob’s  inner  eye 
that  night — the  ascending  stairway,  bathed  in  glory,  and 
the  Most  High  God  at  its  head,  looking  down  with  love 
and  promise  to  that  poor  wayfarer. 

There  are  other  scenes  in  the  story  of  this  place  from 
which  we  would  turn  away — for  a  thousand  years  later 
the  house  of  God  became  a  sanctuary  of  idols;5  but  the 
picture  that  lingers  in  the  memory  is  that  of  Jacob  and 
his  dream. 


-‘I  saw  the  Syrian  sunset’s  meteor-crown 
Hang  over  Bethel  for  a  little  space; 

I  saw  a  gentle,  wandering  boy  lie  down 
With  tears  upon  his  face. 

“Sheer  up  the  fathomless  transparent  blue 
Rose  jasper  battlement  and  crystal  wall, 

Rung  all  the  night  air  pierced  through  and  through 
With  harps  angelical. 

“And  a  great  ladder  was  set  up  the  while 

From  earth  to  heaven  with  angels  on  each  round, 
Barques  that  bore  precious  freight  to  earth’s  far  isle, 
Or  sailed  back  homeward-bound. 

********** 

“Yet  to  faith’s  eye  the  ladder  still  is  set 
And  angel  visitants  still  come  and  go: 

Many  bright  messengers  are  moving  yet 
In  this  dark  world  below!” 


— W.  Alexander. 


Follow  on  Map  7  our  route  over  the  mountains  of 
Ephraim,  nine  miles  north  of  Bethel,  to  Shiloh,  which 
we  visit  next. 


1  Genesis  xxviii :  10-22. 
«  I.  Kings  xii :  26-29. 


Position  53.  Map  7. 


126  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Position  54.  Shiloh,  the  resting  place  of  the 
Ark 

You  see  this  level  plain,  with  a  hill  rising  beyond  it? 
There  is  scarcely  any  doubt  that  this  is  the  place  where 
the  ark  rested  after  its  long  journey  through  the  wilder¬ 
ness,  and  where  the  Tabernacle  was  set  up  by  Joshua.1 
This  plain  would  be  sufficiently  large  for  the  Tabernacle 
and  the  homes  of  the  priests  around  it.  Let  us  in  our 
thoughts  clear  away  these  heaps  of  ruin,  and  imagine 
this  to  be  a  broad,  smooth,  grassy  field,  as  J oshua  saw  it. 
While  looking  upon  the  very  place  where  long-past 
events  occurred,  we  can,  if  we  try,  make  them  more 
real  to  us  than  in  any  other  way.  In  place  of  that 
square  building  (I  think  they  call  it  Deborah’s  Tomb, 
but  am  not  certain),  let  us  lift  up  the  sacred  Tent  of 
Israel,  with  its  two  rooms,  separated  by  a  veil — the  Holy 
Place,  and  the  Holy  of  Holies.  Before  it  in  the  open 
air  stands  the  altar  of  sacrifice,  the  fire  ever  smoking 
upon  it,  and  beside  it  the  brazen  laver,  for  washing  the 
offerings.  The  field  is  staked  off  and  curtained  into  a 
court,  but  each  Israelite  can  lead  his  animal  for  sacrifice 
to  the  gate  beside  the  altar,  and  see  it  slain  by  the 
priest’s  hand,  and  laid  upon  the  altar  as  an  offering  for 
his  sin.  As  generations  pass  by,  a  rude  temple  of  stone 
takes  the  place  of  the  ancient  tent,  and  around  it  in  the 
sacred  enclosure  are  the  rooms  for  the  priests. 

This  field  at  Shiloh  brings  before  us  the  entire  period 
from  Joshua  to  Samuel,  “the  age  of  the  heroes,”  when 
judges  ruled,  when  the  ceremonial  law  was  in  neglect, 
when  Israel  lived  alone  in  the  mountain  region,  for  the 
most  of  the  time  at  peace,  but  occasionally  through  lack 
of  a  bond  between  the  tribes  and  a  strong  government 
over  them,  overrun  by  enemies;  yet  upon  the  whole,  an 

1  Joshua  xviii :  1 ;  Judges  xxi :  19. 


Position  54.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


127 


epoch  of  progress  with  growing  tendencies  toward  unity. 
More  great  men  arose  during  those  three  centuries  than 
at  any  other  period  in  Israelite  history — men  like  Oth- 
niel  and  Shamgar,  and  Gideon,  and  Jephthah.  Do  you 
see  in  front  of  the  ark  yonder  that  venerable  man  wear¬ 
ing  the  breastplate,  always  attended  by  a  little  boy? 
That  is  Eli,  the  priest-judge,  and  the  child  Samuel  is 
by  his  side.2  Here  came  that  startling  voice  in  the  dark 
to  the  boy,  warning  of  the  woe  to  come  upon  Eli  and 
his  house.  Do  you  see  Eli,  sitting  on  his  stone  seat, 
nigh  on  to  a  hundred  years  old,  his  heart  trembling  for 
the  ark  of  the  Lord  T 

When  Eli  dies,  a  curtain  falls  over  Shiloh.  Was  it 
ravaged  by  the  Philistine  warriors  ?  Or  did  it  fall  into 
gradual  decay  and  final  desertion  when  the  ark  was 
taken  and  the  sacrifice  ceased  ?  We  know  that  five  cen¬ 
turies  later  it  was  a  desolation,  for  Jeremiah  pointed  it 
to  his  people  as  a  warning.4  The  ruins  in  the  distance 
are  the  remains  of  an  ancient  synagogue. 

Let  us  take  up  the  travel-staff  again,  and  journey 
twenty-two  miles  northward  to  the  twin  mountains  of 
Ebal  and  Gerizim.  Follow  first  our  route  on  the  general 
map  of  Palestine.  Then  turn  to  our  special  map  of 
Nablus  or  Shechem  (Map  4).  There  you  see  that  a  lit¬ 
tle  to  the  east  of  these  two  mountains,  on  the  spur  of 
Mt.  Gerizim,  we  shall  pause  at  an  ancient  well,  around 
which  more  interest  centers  than  at  any  other  well  in 
the  world. 

Position  55.  Entrance  to  Jacob’s  Well,  and  the 
plain  of  Mukhna 

See  right  in  front  of  us  a  woman  of  Samaria,  with 
her  water  jar  upon  her  head !  She  is  just  going  down 

8  I.  Samuel  iii :  1-15. 

8  I.  Samuel  iv  :  13.  - 

4  Jeremiah  vli :  12-14;  xxvi :  6,  9.  Positions  54,  55.  Maps  4,  7. 


128 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


those  steps  to  the  well.  You  can  see  the  entrance  to 
it  under  the  roof  where  the  man  is  standing.  You  per¬ 
ceive  from  the  shape  of  the  ruins  around  that  a  church 
once  stood  there.  It  was  built  in  the  fourth  century, 
A.  D.,  and  was  still  standing  in  the  eighth  century. 
This  shows  how  early  and  how  continuous  is  the  tradi¬ 
tion  clinging  to  this  spot.  Do  you  notice  the  stone 
wall  surrounding  this  locality?  For  long  ages  it  was 
open  and  exposed  to  marauders;  now  it  is  controlled  by 
the  Greek  Catholics,  protected,  and  in  some  measure 
restored,  as  we  shall  see  when  we  descend  to  the  well 
itself.  The  trees  are  apricots  and  olives,  and  in  spring 
the  ground  here  about  the  well  is  gay  with  wild  flowers. 
We  are  looking  toward  the  southeast.  The  grain-field 
beyond  the  wall  is  a  well-cultivated  and  valuable  tract 
belonging  to  a  very  rich  Mohammedan,  who  owns  large 
estates  in  this  neighborhood  and  who  employs  the  peo¬ 
ple  in  the  near-by  village  as  laborers.  That  road  which 
you  see  beyond  the  wall  leads  off  towards  the  right  and 
then  southward  to  Jerusalem.  The  hills  in  the  distance 
are  part  of  a  line  which  borders  this  plain  of  Mukhna 
or  Moreh  on  the  east.  Over  our  right  shoulder,  then, 
must  rise  Mount  Gerizim,  and  almost  directly  back 
of  us  Mount  Ebal. 

Let  us  look  first  toward  Mount  Gerizim.  Note  care¬ 
fully  our  present  relation  to  these  ruins  about  the  well, 
and  the  new  position  that  we  are  to  take,  that  you  may 
keep  your  sense  of  direction.  We  are  now  looking 
southeast.  We  shall  move  down  to  our  left  to  a  point 
a  few  feet  to  the  left  of  that  man  leaning  on  those 
broken  pillars  by  the  well,  and  look  across  our  present 
line  of  view  toward  our  right,  that  is,  in  a  southwesterly 
direction. 


Position  55.  Map  4. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


129 


Position  56.  Mount  Gerizim,  where  the  Samar¬ 
itans  worship,  and  steps  leading  to  Jacob’s 
Well 

Now  we  have  the  broken  pillars  by  the  well  entrance 
on  our  left,  though  the  man  has  seated  himself.  The 
woman,  you  see,  is  still  standing  in  the  same  position  as 
before,  but  she  has  rested  her  water  jar  on  the  base 
of  the  broken  columns  by  her  side.  The  steps  leading 
down  to  the  well,  which  could  scarcely  be  seen  from  our 
former  position,  are  now  before  us. 

By  reference  to  our  special  map  again  we  see  that  it 
is  Mount  Gerizim  which  looms  up  before  us.  It  is  only 
the  poets  who  have  represented  Gerizim  the  mount  of 
blessing  as  green,  and  Ebal,  the  mount  of  cursing  as 
barren  and  desolate.  Both  may  have  been  terraced  and 
cultivated  once,  but  both  are  bare  enough  now,  although 
the  Samaritans  have  recently  attempted  to  start  new 
vineyards  on  some  parts  of  the  heights  you  see  just 
ahead.  Gerizim  is  the  sacred  mountain  of  the  Samari¬ 
tans.1  They  claim  that  AbrahanJs  offering  of  Isaac 
took  place  here,2  and  not  on  Mount  Moriah,  Jerusalem, 
and  a  few  scholars — notably  Dean  Stanley — agree  with 
them.  Their  humble  temple  can  be  seen  in  the  distance, 
near  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  built  amid  the  ruins 
of  a  more  elaborate  structure  of  former  times.  On  the 
opposite  or  northern  side  of  the  mountain  there  is  an 
amphitheatre-like  depression  and  a  similar  depression 
facing  it  on  the  southern  side  of  Mount  Ebal,  farther 
north.  It  was  in  these  two  hollows  that  Joshua  gath¬ 
ered  the  six  tribes  for  the  purpose  of  reading  to  them 
the  law,  soon  after  the  fall  of  Jericho,  and  Ai.* 

We  turn  from  the  mountain  to  look  once  more  at  this 
approach  to  the  well.  Eighteen  hundred  years  ago,  a 

1  John  iv  :  19,  20. 

2  Gen.  xxii :  1-14.  - 

8  Joshua  Till :  SO,  36.  Position  56.  Maps  4,  7. 


130  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

young  man’s  visit  made  this  well  immortal  and  this 
ground  sacred.4  Here  were  no  ruined  chapel  and  no 
stone  steps;  but  the  well  was  here,  deeper  than  it  is 
now.  He  came  here  weary,  for  He  had  traveled  a  long 
journey;  He  was  alone,  for  His  companions  had  gone 
to  the  village  to  obtain  food.  He  was  absorbed  in 
thought  when  a  footstep  fell  upon  His  ear  and  a  shadow 
across  His  path.  He  looked  up,  and  a  woman  was 
standing  here  before  Him.  In  one  glance  He  read  all 
her  story  of  sin  and  shame.  He  saw  her  heart  with  its 
longing  for  a  better  nature.  He  had  not  come  here  for 
work;  he  had  finished  His  labor  of  a  year  in  Judea,  ap¬ 
parently  unsuccessful,  but  in  reality  destined  to  bring 
forth  an  abundant  harvest,  and  He  was  on  His  way  to 
Galilee  to  begin  another  year  of  even  greater  activity. 
He  had  paused  here  for  an  hour’s  rest,  but  when  He 
looked  on  that  woman’s  face  He  forgot  his  own  weari¬ 
ness  and  hunger  in  His  eagerness  to  save  her  soul.  How 
wonderfully  real  that  meeting  between  Christ  and  the 
Samaritan  woman  becomes  as  we  stand  here  by  the  very 
same  well,  with  the  very  same  Mount  Gerizim,  the  seat 
of  the  Samaritan  worship,  before  us,  and  read  in  John 
iv. :  20,  one  of  the  replies  the  woman  made  to  Christ: 
“Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain ;  and  ye 
say  that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to 
worship.”  Eead  once  more  the  entire  conversation  held 
on  this  very  spot,  and  see  if  it  was  not  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  revelations  ever  given  to  a  soul. 

How  let  us  descend  by  those  steps  and  enter  the  little 
chapel  almost  beneath  us  which  stands  over  Jacob’s  well. 

4  John  iv  :  1-30. 


Position  56.  Maps  4,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


131 


Position  57.  A  Samaritan  woman  at  Jacob’s 
Well 

Why,  here  is  a  woman  of  Samaria,  just  drawing 
water.  Indeed  she  is  a  real  Samaritan  woman,  who  has 
come  from  the  very  village  of  Iscar  (Sychar  of  the 
Bible),  that  the  woman  came  from  whom  Christ  met — 
the  town  where  He  was  invited  to  stay,  and  where 
He  did  stay  two  days.1  You  observe  that  she  has 
brought  her  own  rope;  and  her  water- jar  rests  on  the 
well-curb.  I  wonder  whether  the  woman  who  came 
from  Sychar  to  this  well  eighteen  hundred  years  ago 
was  dressed  in  a  striped  gown,  and  wore  earrings  and 
beads.  Certainly  those  women  did  not  find  this  copper 
bucket  at  hand  for  drawing  water.  The  well  has  been 
cleaned  out  to  a  depth  of  seventy-five  feet — the  debris 
and  ruins  might  be  dug  out  fifty  feet  further,  to  make 
it  as  it  was  in  ancient  days.  Look  at  that  stone  curb; 
what  seams  and  corrugations  centuries  of  water-drawing 
have  worn  in  it !  You  see  that  this  is  a  Greek  Chapel, 
from  the  lamps  and  pictures  under  the  roof.  That 
curious  arrangement  on  the  left  is  for  the  purpose  of 
lowering  down  into  the  well  a  coil  of  lighted  mag¬ 
nesium  wire,  enabling  the  visitor  to  see  the  walls  of  the 
well  and  its  water  far  below.  Every  traveler  now  re¬ 
ceives  a  cup  of  water  from  the  depths  of  the  patriarch’s 
well,  but  whoever  drinks  it  runs  much  risk,  for  its  ap¬ 
parent  cleanliness  is  open  to  serious  question.  At  pres¬ 
ent  the  well  contains  water  most  of  the  time,  except  in 
midsummer,  but  if  it  were  fully  cleared  out  it  would 
undoubtedly  be  a  perennial  spring. 

Hid  you  ever  think  how  strange  it  is  that  this  well 
should  be  here?  There  are  forty  streams  flowing  down 
the  sides  of  Gerizim  and  Ebal,  with  more  water  close  at 

1  John  iv  :  40. 

Position  57.  Maps  4,  7. 


132 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


hand  than  any  other  region  in  Palestine  possesses.  Why 
in  the  world  should  anybody  hew  out  a  well  through 
solid  rock — and  without  blasting  powder — one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet  deep  and  seven  and  one-half  feet 
at  least  in  diameter  ?  Evidently  there  lived  a  man  here 
who  needed  an  abundant  supply  of  water,  and  who 
found  the  springs  and  streams  already  possessed  by 
rivals  and  possibly  by  enemies.  Just  such  was  the  con¬ 
dition  of  Jacob  in  this  very  vicinity.2  He  was  an  inter¬ 
loper,  with  great  flocks  and  herds.  He  would  beg  or 
borrow  of  no  man,  and  undoubtedly  he  dug  this  well  to 
be  independent  of  all  his  neighbors !  How  old  this  well 
is !  It  had  been  dug  at  least  eighteen  hundred  years 
when  Christ  sat  here.  With  the  tombs  of  the  patriarchs 
at  Hebron,  and  a  few  old  stones  in  the  Temple  wall  of 
Jerusalem,  it  is  one  of  the  very,  very  few  works  of  man 
wrought  in  Bible  times  and  enduring  down  to  our  own. 


A  mile  and  a  quarter  to  the  northwest  of  Jacob’s 
Well  we  find  Nablus,  the  ancient  Shechem.  To  a  com¬ 
pany  of  tired  travelers,  in  March,  1897,  who  had  been 
sitting  in  the  saddle  ten  hours  that  day,  riding  from 
Bethel,  twenty-two  miles  distant,  it  seemed  ten  miles 
from  the  well  to  the  town,  but  the  map  is  more  trust¬ 
worthy  than  a  weary  pilgrim’s  bones.  Let  us  go  to  the 
point  indicated  on  Map  4  and  look  at  this  ancient  city. 

Position  58.  Nablus  (ancient  Shechem),  and 
Mount  Ebal,  from  Gerizirn 

We  are  standing  on  a  path  that  winds  up  Mount 
Gerizirn,  and  we  are  looking  at  the  city  from  the  south¬ 
west.  The  slope  beyond  the  town  is  Mount  Ebal.  Those 
olive-trees  are  on  the  bank  of  a  stream  which  helps  to 

2  Gen.  xxxiii :  18-20. 


Positions  57,  58.  Maps  4,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


133 


supply  water  to  the  plain  west  of  the  city.  That  mas¬ 
sive  old  tower  on  the  left  belongs  to  a  mosque.  It 
was  once  a  Christian  church,  and  some  parts  of  it  quite 
resemble,  as  you  may  perceive,  the  Holy  Sepulchre 
Church  at  Jerusalem.  Its  oldest  portion  is  more  than 
twelve  hundred  years  old.  Do  you  notice  beyond  it 
another  mosque  which  looks  like  a  church,  except  for 
its  octagonal  minaret  ?  That  also  was  once  a  cru¬ 
saders  church.  The  rule  is  now  that  no  Christian 
church  may  be  erected  within  a  hundred  feet  of  an  es¬ 
tablished  mosque.  It  is  seldom  any  individual  Chris¬ 
tian  is  allowed  to  own  houses  or  lands  here.  The  build¬ 
ing  with  two  very  large  arched  windows  in  one  corner, 
at  the  right  of  the  white  minaret,  is  a  factory  for  mak¬ 
ing  soap;  the  large  building  beyond  that  factory  and 
a  little  farther  to  the  right  is  the  private  house  of  a  rich 
citizen;  it  looks  bare  and  unattractive  from  the  outside, 
but  within  the  walls  there  is  a  beautiful  garden  and 
courtyard,  around  which  the  living  rooms  are  arranged. 
In  such  a  house  there  would  be  found  nowadays  many 
pieces  of  European  furniture.  The  little  Samaritan 
synagogue  is  one  of  the  ordinary-looking  buildings  in 
this  southwestern  quarter,  but  there  is  nothing  in  its 
appearance  to  distinguish  it.  There  are  less  than  two 
hundred  Samaritans  here,  all  that  are  left  of  the  once 
powerful  people  who  for  centuries  held  this  central  re¬ 
gion  of  Palestine  against  the  Jews.  Their  synagogue 
contains  one  of  the  oldest  manuscripts  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch  in  the  world.  You  know  that  their  Bible  in¬ 
cludes  only  the  five  books  of  Moses.  Next  to  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  this  is  the  largest  city  in  Palestine,  containing, 
it  is  said,  twenty  thousand  inhabitants ;  though 
that  is  merely  an  estimate,  since  the  Turks  take  no 
census.  About  a  thousand  are  Christians,  Greek,  Latin 


Position  58.  Maps  4,  7. 


134  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

and  Protestant,  educated  in  mission  schools.  There 
are,  it  is  reported,  twenty-six  soap-factories  in  the  town 
— but  all  their  output  is  exported ;  it  is  plain  to  any  one 
with  a  nose  that  little  soap  is  used  in  Shechem.  (There 
are,  however,  public  baths,  which  are  used  with  regu¬ 
larity  by  people  of  the  better  sort,  at  a  cost  of  two  cents 
or  thereabouts  for  each  bath).  Olive  oil  is  used  largely 
in  the  soap-making,  and  quantities  of  oil  are  shipped 
in  leather  bottles  to  Jaffa  and  Beirut.  Everything  is 
carried  away  on  the  backs  of  donkeys  or  camels  over 
the  stony  roads  between  here  and  the  market-ports. 

Now  let  us  open  our  Bible,  and  see  how  Shechem  en¬ 
ters  into  its  history.  When  Abraham  entered  Canaan 
on  his  journey  from  Haram,  he  made  his  first  halt  here 
at  “the  place  of  Sichem.”1  J acob  came  here  from  Meso¬ 
potamia,  with  his  caravan,  and  was  confronted  by  a 
Hivite  city.  He  bought  his  camping  ground  on  the 
east  of  the  city,  but  on  account  of  a  treacherous  friend 
soon  left  it,  and  left  also  his  newly  dug  well.2  Both 
before  and  after  the  war  of  conquest  Joshua  held  near 
this  city  solemn  services  of  consecration.  Let  us  call 
to  mind  more  fully  some  of  those  events.  You  can 
now  see  the  hollow  or  amphitheatre  before  referred  to 
on  the  southern  side  of  Mount  Ebal  yonder.  Opposite 
to  that,  on  the  northern  slope  of  Mount  Gerizim,  now 
over  our  right  shoulder,  is  a  similar  amphitheatre.  Here 
it  was  that  Joshua  assembled  the  Israelites  on  that  mem¬ 
orable  occasion  to  read  to  them  the  law.*  Do  you  know 
that  one  who  speaks  the  Ten  Comandments  in  a  clear 
voice,  from  one  side  of  this  valley  will  be  heard  dis¬ 
tinctly  upon  the  other?  What  a  scene  that  was,  when 
the  six  tribes  were  gathered  on  yonder  slope  of  Mount 

1  Gen.  xii :  6. 

2  Gen.  xxxiii :  18-20  ;  xxxiv  :  1-31 ;  xxxv  :  1-6. 

8  Joshua  viii :  30-35  ;  xxiv  :  1-25. 


Position  58.  Maps  4,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  135 

Ebal,  and  six  more  on  Mount  Gerizim,  which  stands 
over  our  right  shoulder,  with  their  wives  and  their  little 
ones,  the  ark  standing  in  the  midst;  and  Joshua’s  voice 
rising  in  the  air  with  the  words  of  each  law,  answered 
with  a  loud  “Amen”  from  the  host!  That  was  the 
formal  consecration  of  this  land  to  Jehovah,  the  God 
of  Israel:  and  for  that  reason  this  service  was  ren¬ 
dered  here,  in  the  very  center  of  the  country,  and 
in  the  very  beginning  of  the  conquest.  Joshua  won 
the  land  of  Canaan  in  three  swift,  irresistible  cam¬ 
paigns.  The  first  was  the  taking  of  Jericho,  and  then 
of  Ai,  near  Bethel,  followed  by  the  seizure  of  Shechem 
and  these  two  mountains.  That  gained  the  center  and 
divided  the  enemies,  north  and  south.  Then  came  the 
night-march  to  Gibeon,  the  battle  of  Beth-horon 
(Position  4),  and  the  capture  in  succession  of  the 
cities  in  southern  Palestine.  The  third  campaign  was 
the  conquest  of  northern  Palestine  by  a  battle  near 
Lake  Merom.  If  these  victories  had  been  followed  up 
and  the  inhabitants  thoroughly  dispossessed,  it  would 
have  been  better  for  Israel  and  for  the  world,  severe  as 
it  might  seem;  for  the  native  races,  cowed  but  not  sub¬ 
dued,  remained  on  the  land  to  plague  their  con¬ 
querors  by  their  enmity  in  war,  and  by  their  more 
dangerous  idolatry  and  immorality  in  peace. 

After  Joshua’s  time,  during  the  period  of  the  judges, 
this  was  an  important  place,  and  “the  bramble  king” 
Abimelech  tried  to  set  up  his  throne  here,  but  failed.4 
Shechem  was  the  centre,  too,  of  the  ambitious  and 
turbulent  tribe  of  Ephraim,  and  to  placate  that  tribe, 
doubtless,  Rehoboam,  the  son  of  Solomon,  came 
hither  to  be  crowned,  but  his  folly  only  added  to  the 
spirit  of  tribal  jealousy,  and  led  to  the  great  division 


Position  58.  Maps  4,  7. 


1  Judges  ix :  1-67. 


136 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


between  Judah  and  the  Ten  Tribes.*  The  empire  built 
up  by  the  prowess  and  statesmanship  of  David  dropped 
into  fragments,  and  in  its  place  stood  two  rival  princi¬ 
palities. 

After  the  captivity  for  a  generation  Jews  and 
Samaritans  worshipped  together,  but  the  stern  reforms 
of  Ezra  and  Hehemiah  cast  the  Samaritans  out  of  the 
Temple,  and  from  that  time  they  have  maintained  their 
own  worship  here,  though  with  diminishing  numbers. 

But  there  are  other  reasons  why  we  should  be  inter¬ 
ested  in  this  place.  Beyond  yonder  amphitheatre 
toward  the  right,  near  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  is 
“ Joseph’s  Tomb.”  A  small  mosque  now  stands  on  the 
spot.  We  are  not  sure  that  this  is  the  identical  spot 
where  Joseph,  the  favored  son,  the  slave,  the  prince, 
the  prophet,  was  buried;  but  it  is  not  improbable  that 
the  grave  is  in  yonder  field,  the  parcel  of  ground  which 
Jacob  bought  of  the  sons  of  Hamor.'  Hebrews, 
Samaritans,  Christians  and  Mohammedans — all  revere 
Joseph  as  a  prophet,  and  there  never  has  been  a  time 
when  this  ground  has  not  been  controlled  by  some  one 
of  these  sects.  We  know  that  by  his  commandment 
his  embalmed  body  was  kept  unburied  in  Egypt/  as 
a  token  of  his  own  faith,  and  as  an  encouragement 
to  his  people’s  faith,  in  the  promise  that  one  day  they 
should  return  to  their  own  land.  What  an  object 
lesson  in  faith  that  mummy  must  have  been!  Ho 
wonder  that  a  Hew  Testament  writer  calls  attention 
to  it  among  the  glorious  examples  of  faith.*  Can 
you  see  that  stone  coffin  carried  through  the  wilder¬ 
ness  by  Joseph’s  descendants,  the  tribes  of  Ephraim 
and  Manasseh?*  And  when  the  conquest  was  wrought 

*  I.  Kings  xii :  1-24.  7  Gen.  1  :  24-26. 

•  Joshua  xxiy  :  32.  8  Hebrews  xi :  22. 

-  •  Exo.  xiii :  19. 

Position  58.  Maps  4,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


137 


and  the  tribe  of  Ephraim  settled  in  this  the  central, 
the  richest,  and  the  best  watered  section  in  all  the 
land,  then  at  last  they  buried  the  body  of  Joseph  here 
among  his  own  people,19  and  near  to  the  place  where 
the  law  was  read  by  Joshua,  whose  veins  bore  the  blood 
of  Joseph,  and  whose  character  showed  the  same  strong 
traits.11 

So  much  of  interest  attaches  to  the  Samaritans  that 
it  will  surely  be  worth  our  while  to  visit  their  syna¬ 
gogue,  meet  their  High  Priest,  and  get  permission  to 
look  at  their  famous  copy  of  the  Pentateuch. 

Position  59.  Samaritan  High  Priest,  and  Penta¬ 
teuch  roll — supposed  writing  of  Abishua, 
great  grandson  of  Aaron — Shechem 

We  are  looking  into  the  eyes  of  the  chief  represen¬ 
tative  of  a  religious  sect,  one  of  the  oldest  and  certainly 
the  smallest  in  the  world.  This  man  and  the  small 
company  associated  with  him — less  than  two  hundred 
in  all — are  the  sole  descendants  of  that  remarkable 
sect.  They  claim  that  they  are  the  lineal  descendants 
of  the  Israelites  of  old,  from  a  remnant  that  was  left 
when  the  tribes  were  carried  into  Syrian  captivity,  and 
there  are  many  reasons  for  accepting  this  claim.  There 
is  no  doubt  but  that  they  are  the  representatives  of 
the  Samaritans  of  the  time  of  Christ,  for  whom  the 
Jews  had  such  a  deadly  hatred.  Their  physiognomy 
and  characteristics  certainly  bear  a  striking  resem¬ 
blance  to  those  of  the  old  Jewish  race,  far  more  so  than 
do  those  of  the  modern  Jew.  We  should  remember 
that  Mount  Gerizim  is  the  oldest  sanctuary  in  Pales¬ 
tine,  that  through  all  the  stormy  revolutions  of  the 

10  Joshua  xxiv  :  32. 

11  Numbers  xiii :  8, 16 ;  I.  Chron.  vii :  20-27. 


Positions  08,  09.  Map*  4,  7. 


138  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

past  it  has  retained  its  sanctity  to  the  end.  Probably 
there  is  no  locality  in  which  the  same  worship  has  been 
sustained  with  so  little  interruption  for  such  a  period 
of  time — from  Abraham  to  the  present  day!  This 
priest  himself,  while  he  disagrees  with  the  orthodox 
Jews  and  disbelieves  the  message  of  Christianity,  is 
personally  a  man  with  a  kindly  heart  and  a  tolerant 
temper.  Besides  officiating  in  the  synagogue  he 
teaches  the  children  of  his  people,  bringing  them  up  in 
the  ancient  faith.  His  robes  are  of  black  and  white 
silk,  his  head-dress  of  red.  He  speaks  Hebrew  and 
knows  a  very  little  English.  Seven  or  eight  years  ago 
he  is  said  to  have  declared  that  he  would  wait  just 
thirty-eight  years  longer  for  the  true  Messiah — if  then 
the  Promised  One  had  not  come  he  would  give  it  up 
and  accept  Jesus  as  indeed  the  Christ. 

We  are  now  in  the  Samaritan  synagogue,  and,  strange 
as  it  may  seem,  in  this  poor,  whitewashed  room  the  old 
synagogue  worship  is  still  carried  on,  this  High  Priest 
chanting  the  services  in  a  broken  monotone,  and  sway¬ 
ing  himself  to  and  fro.  Here,  too,  is  kept  with 
jealous  care  this  ancient  copy  of  the  Pentateuch  which 
is  before  us — one  of  the  very  oldest  copies  in  exis¬ 
tence.  We  could  not  see  it  on  any  account  except 
in  the  presence  of  this  High  Priest  (ordinarily  the 
rolls  are  kept  in  a  silver  case  wrapped  carefully  in 
protecting  cloths).  As  it  is  raised  in  the  service  the 
people  prostrate  themselves  and  throw  oblations 
toward  Gerizim.  The  “Samaritan”  character  which 
you  see  on  this  manuscript  roll  is  analogous  to  the 
earliest  Jewish  writings,  earlier  than  the  time  of 
Ezra,  when  the  square  alphabet  was  adopted.  This 
roll  includes  only  the  writings  of  the  Pentateuch,  and 
though  it  differs  in  some  respects  from  the  regular 


Position  59.  Maps  4,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


139 


Jewish  manuscript,  still  there  are  no  variations  of  im¬ 
portance.  The  old  MS.  is  written  on  parchment  and 
the  rods  and  knobs  are  of  silver. 

Of  all  the  Israelites,  these  Samaritans  alone  adhere 
to  the  same  strict  rites  and  ceremonies  as  did  all  their 
forefathers.  Paths  lead  up  the  side  of  Gerizim  by 
which  they  go  to  their  sacred  temple,  which  we  saw 
while  standing  by  Jacob’s  Well,  and  hold  the  ancient 
Feast  of  the  Passover. 

Let  us  turn  aside  now  to  look  at  an  old-time  custom 
of  every-day  life  of  the  people. 

Position  60.  Women  grinding  at  the  mill 

How  completely  the  life  of  to-day  in  these  Oriental 
lands  copies  that  of  two  thousand  years  ago!  Here 
in  the  court  of  a  house  are  “two  women  grinding  at 
the  mill.”1  See  the  two  millstones  standing  in  a  stone 
trough.  The  upper  one  turns  around  that  iron  spike. 
Notice  that  hole  into  which  the  grain  is  cast.  Each 
woman  has  a  basketful  beside  her,  and  by  turns  they 
drop  handfuls  into  the  mill.  It  is  turned  round  and 
round,  you  see,  by  a  handle  in  one  side.  A  large  mill 
like  this  requires  the  strength  of  two  women;  a  smaller 
needs  only  one.  See  the  white  flour  dropping  down 
into  the  trough!  But  it  is  a  slow  and  laborious 
process  of  making  flour,  isn’t  it?  There  is  a  grist-mill 
in  almost  every  town,  turned  by  water-power  gen¬ 
erally,  but  the  poorer  people  save  expense  by  having 
their  own  little  mills.  This  is  regarded  as  women’s 
work;  one  never  sees  a  man  turning  the  mill-stone. 
Notice  the  bracelets  on  the  arms  of  these  women. 
Their  veils  are  left  open  more  than  is  usual  when 


1  Matt,  xxiv  :41. 


Positions  59,  60.  Maps  4,  7. 


140  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

men  are  near,  but  they  are  hard  at  work.  See  the 
bright  eyes  of  that  little  fellow  who  sits  in  the  door¬ 
way!  Do  you  notice  the  string  of  bangles,  like  coins, 
fastened  round  his  head?  That  is  a  pretty  solid  door 
behind  him.  See  the  round  knocker  hanging  upon  it. 
And  that  key-hole:  how  large  the  key  must  be  to  fit 
it!  An  Oriental  key  is  always  a  clumsy  affair,  often 
large  enough  to  be  carried  upon  the  shoulder.3  What 
do  you  think  of  that  pavement  in  the  street?  It  is 
a  fair  sample  of  what  you  and  your  horse  must  walk 
over  in  any  city  which  is  advanced  enough  to  have  its 
streets  paved  at  all.  You  notice  that  the  women  have 
spread  a  mat  where  they  are  seated.  How  forlorn  and 
hopeless  they  look !  The  lot  of  woman  in  a  land  where 
almost  every  family  is  desperately  poor,  and  where 
women  are  regarded  as  little  better  than  beasts  of  bur¬ 
den,  is  such  as  to  give  to  all  women  of  the  working 
class  a  tired,  wretched,  almost  despairing  look. 

Moving  northwest,  six  miles  from  Nablus,  or  She- 
chem,  we  find  Samaria,  now  called  Sebastiyeh,  a  cor¬ 
ruption  of  its  name  Sebaste  in  the  Herodian  epoch. 
Note  on  the  general  map  of  Palestine  the  route  we 
take,  and  observe  on  the  special  map  of  Samaria 
(Map  5),  that  we  pause  first  at  some  distance  from 
this  old  royal  city. 

Position  61.  The  hill  of  Samaria,  from  the  south, 
surrounded  by  its  fig  and  olive  groves 

“Thou  shalt  not  muzzle  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the 
corn.”1  Well,  here  they  are,  right  before  our  eyes, 
the  threshing  floor  and  the  oxen  treading  out  the  corn. 
Corn ,  you  know,  in  the  old  world,  means  any  kind 

1  Deut.  xxv  :  4 ;  I.  Cor.  ix :  9.  2  Isaiah  xxii :  22. 


Positions  60,  61.  Maps  4,  5,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


141 


of  grain.  On  a  place  entirely  level — either  naturally 
so,  or  made  so — they  spread  the  grain  in  sheaves,  and 
then  have  a  pair  of  oxen  walk  around  and  around 
hoofing  down”  the  heads,  until  the  kernels  are  sep¬ 
arated  from  the  chaff.  Here,  three  oxen  are  walking 
around  together.  The  threshing-floor  of  the  village  is 
public  property,  and  each  farmer,  in  turn,  brings  his 
harvest  of  grain  to  it.  A  large  town,  like  Samaria  in 
the  distance  yonder,  has  several  threshing  floors  for 
the  use  of  its  people.  Do  you  see  the  straw  piled  up 
around  the  outside  of  the  floor?  And  do  you  notice 
on  the  lower  platform  a  black  spot  showing  where  a 
heap  of  chaff  has  been  burned?  Does  not  that  charred 
ring  recall  to  your  mind  the  warning  of  John  the 
Baptist  to  the  Jewish  people?2 

These  people  you  see  here  do  not  live  in  scattered 
farmhouses  as  might  be  the  case  with  American 
farmers;  their  homes  are  in  close  groups  forming  tiny 
villages,  if  not  in  the  town  yonder.  Every  village  of 
a  few  hundred  people  has  its  sheikh,  who  knows  every¬ 
body,  teaches  the  boys  and  practically  controls  the 
village  affairs,  reporting  when  necessary  to  his  superior 
officers  in  the  Turkish  Government  service. 

Now  look  northward  across  the  valley  dotted  with 
olive-trees,  and  see  the  once  palatial  city  of  Samaria, 
as  it  is  to-day.  You  notice  in  the  edge  of  the  town 
a  square  building  with  minaret  rising  above  it.  That 
is  the  church  of  John  the  Baptist,  built  by  the  cru¬ 
saders  in  the  twelfth  century,  and  now  turned  into  a 
mosque,  though  partly  in  ruin.  There  is  an  old  tradi¬ 
tion  that  John  the  Baptist  was  buried  there  after  his 
martyrdom  by  Herod  Antipas.’  What  a  magnificent 
situation  this  town  possesses!  Around  it  are  hills 


Position  61.  Map*  5,  7. 


2  Matt,  iii :  12. 

B  Matt,  xjv  ;  1-12. 


142 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


forming  a  natural  defence,  bnt  too  far  to  menace  its 
safety  by  ancient  methods  of  warfare.  It  stands  out 
prominently  in  every  direction,  and  from  its  crown 
there  is  a  splendid  view,  turn  whichever  way  you  please. 
King  Omri,  the  father  of  Ahab,  chose  wisely  when  he 
bought  this  hill  from  Shemer,  and  made  it  the  capital 
of  his  kingdom,  the  Ten  Tribes.4  What  memories  of 
Ahab  and  Jezebel,6  of  Elijah  and  Elisha,*  gather  around 
that  hill !  How  many  sieges  it  sustained  during  its 
two  centuries  of  rule  over  Israel.  You  remember  how 
strangely  it  was  delivered  from  one  blockade,  in  the 
days  of  Elisha  the  prophet,  when  its  besiegers  were 
seized  with  sudden  panic  and  fled  down  the  valley  on 
the  right  that  leads  to  the  Jordan.7  But  it  was  taken 
at  last  in  B.  C.  721,  by  the  Assyrians  under  Sargon, 
when  the  kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes  was  finally  blotted 
from  the  map,  and  its  people  were  carried  into  captivity 
near  the  Caspian  Sea.8  (We  must  carefully  distinguish, 
by  the  way,  between  the  captivity  of  Israel  in  721  B.  C., 
and  that  of  Judah  135  years  later.9  The  Israelites 
were  never  brought  back,  and  their  state  never  arose 
again;  the  Jews  were  restored  after  fifty  years,  and 
their  land  enjoyed  again  peace  and  prosperity.19) 

We  have  looked  at  the  hill  of  Samaria  from  a  dis¬ 
tance;  let  us  now  stand  on  the  roof  of  that  old  church 
of  John  the  Baptist,  and,  looking  westward,  view  the 
city  near  at  hand.  The  map  of  Samaria  (Map  5), 
shows  the  relation  between  our  two  positions. 

4  I.  Kings  xvi :  23,  24.  8  II.  Kings  xvii :  1-6. 

5  I.  Kings  xvi :  30,  31.  0  II.  Kings  xxv  :  1-11. 

8  I.  Kings  xxi :  17, 18  ;  II.  Kings  vi :  19,  20.  10  Ezra  i :  1-3. 

7  II.  Kings  vi :  24 ;  vii :  20. 

Position  61.  Maps  5,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


143 


Position  62.  Ancient  royal  city  of  Samaria  where 
Philip  preached  Christ 

We  are  now  facing  west.  The  church  from  the  roof 
of  which  we  are  looking  down  is  still  a  min.  Only  the 
rear  has  been  roofed  over  and  made  into  a  mosque.  You 
can  see  the  walls  and  buttresses  of  the  building,  over¬ 
grown  with  grass  and  weeds.  Do  you  see  that  cellar  with 
stairs  leading  down  to  its  interior?  That  is  the  ancient 
pool  of  Samaria,  standing  outside  the  city,  and  in 
former  times  its  principal  water  supply.  Do  you  re¬ 
member  a  warning  prophecy  of  Elijah  to  King  Ahab, 
that  the  dogs  should  lick  up  his  blood  P1  That  prophecy 
was  fulfilled  at  this  place,  when  they  washed  the  blood 
from  the  slain  king’s  chariot  in  the  pool  of  Samaria.* 
What  a  commentary  on  human  greatness  is  this  collec¬ 
tion  of  mud-hovels,  where  once  arose  the  ivory  palace  of 
Ahab  the  King!3  Up  yonder  street,  once  lined  with 
stately  buildings,  I  see  the  king  of  Israel  riding  in  his 
chariot,  with  his  Tyrian  queen  by  his  side.4  Do  you  see 
that  skin-clad,  long-haired,  weird-looking  Elijah  from 
the  wilderness,  stalking  unannounced  into  the  presence 
of  Ahab  with  his  prophetic  message  ?B  In  some  house  on 
yonder  hillside  dwelt  Elisha,  Elijah’s  gentler  successor.® 
Who  is  it  that  comes  riding  in  his  chariot  so  furiously 
up  the  hill?7  It  is  Jehu,  the  revolutionist,  and  he  is 
eager  for  the  blood  of  Ahab’s  seventy  sons  !8  Do  you 
know  that  beside  those  huts  you  will  often  find  marble 
columns  standing  in  the  walls,  memories  of  Samaria’s 
departed  splendor?  Perhaps  you  can  see  one  even  now 
at  the  corner  of  a  house  there  on  the  left.  That  upper 
plateau  yonder  was  the  site  of  the  great  temple  of  Baal 


1 1.  Kings  xxi :  17-19. 
a  I.  Kings  xxii :  37,  38. 

8  I.  Kings  xxii :  39. 

4  I.  Kings  xvi :  30,  31 ;  xxi :  25. 


5  I.  Kings  xvii :  1. 

0  II.  Kings  vi :  24,  25,  32. 

7  II.  Kings  ix  :  14,  20. 

8  II.  Kings  x  :  1-11. 


Position  62.  Maps  5,  7 . 


144 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


in  Samaria,  supported  in  state  by  Queen  Jezebel.*  Do 
you  recall  that  scene  of  treachery  and  massacre  on  those 
heights  after  Jehu  took  the  throne?10 

Samaria  has  its  New  Testament  as  well  as  its  Old 
Testament  memories.  It  has  heard  its  apostles  as  well 
as  its  prophets,  has  witnessed  its  triumphs  of  grace  as 
well  as  of  wrath.  On  yonder  hillside  preached  Philip 
the  Evangelist,  after  he  was  driven  out  of  Jerusalem 
by  one  Saul,  a  persecutor  of  the  saints.11  The  first 
church  of  Christ  outside  of  Judea  was  founded  here, 
and  hither  came  Peter  and  John  to  bestow  upon  its 
members  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.12  Thus  Samaria 
that  represented  the  old  sore  of  schism  between  Judah 
and  Israel,  represented  also  its  healing  in  Christ,  when 
Samaritan  and  J ew  became  one,  clasping  the  cross. 

You  notice  that  the  road  leading  up  the  hill  of 
Samaria  has  three  branches.  Let  us  take  the  one  on  the 
left.  We  shall  find  that  it  leads  entirely  around  the 
hill,  winding  up  to  its  summit.  Do  you  see  on  the 
left  of  the  hill  a  slanting  declivity  between  the  upper 
and  the  lower  levels,  having  some  trees  above  it?  Just 
on  the  other  side  of  that  declivity  we  are  to  take  our 
next  stand.  (See  Position  63  on  Map  5.) 

Position  63.  Herod’s  street  of  columns,  Samaria 

We  are  looking  now  in  a  direction  just  opposite  to 
that  in  our  last  view,  as  our  map  shows.  That  was 
west,  and  we  are  now  facing  east.  That  man  on  horse¬ 
back  yonder  has  come  up  the  road  from  the  front  of 
the  old  town,  where  we  were  a  moment  ago.  Between 
those  columns,  on  our  left,  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 

•  I.  Kings  xviii :  19. 

10  II.  Kings  x  :  20-27. 


Positions  62,  63.  Maps  6,  7. 


11  Acts  viii :  3-8. 

12  Acts  viii :  14,  15. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


145 


declivity  which  we  saw  before  from  the  other  side;  and 
there  are  the  same  clumps  of  trees.  Look  at  that  long 
row  of  columns.  In  ancient  times  that  formed  one 
side  of  a  magnificent  road  leading  np  and  around  the 
mountain,  and  there  was  another  line  of  columns  to 
match  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  highway.  Can  you 
imagine  that  road  as  it  was  two  thousand  years  ago, 
winding  around  the  hill,  with  views  of  the  valley  framed 
between  those  marble  pillars?  Herod  the  Great,  who 
was  living  when  Jesus  was  born,1  built  that  road  and 
renamed  the  city  Sebaste,  the  Greek  form  of  the  name 
of  Augustus,  who  was  then  the  reigning  emperor.2 
The  place  retains  the  word  in  the  form  of  Sebastiyeh, 
its  present  name.  So  here  in  the  heart  of  the  land  we 
find  a  memorial  of  the  king  who  was  ruling  over  Pales¬ 
tine  when  Jesus  was  born,  and  of  the  emperor  who 
was  the  master  of  the  Eoman  world. 

We  follow  the  long-used  path  through  the  mountains, 
and  twelve  miles  north  of  Samaria  we  reach  the  locality 
of  our  next  outlook.  It  is  set  down  on  the  general 
map  of  Palestine,  and  the  spot  where  we  are  to  stand  is 
marked  64.  We  are  to  look  almost  north. 

Position  64.  The  plain  of  Dothan 

Those  distant  hills  are  the  southern  slopes  of  the 
range  of  Mount  Carmel,  which  stretches  its  barrier 
across  the  country,  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the  Jor¬ 
dan  valley,  in  a  southeasterly  direction.  These  trees 
dotting  the  plain  are  the  olive,  whose  fruit  is  the  great 
staple  of  this  land.  Here  and  there  are  spaces  of  farm 
land  and  pasturage,  you  see.  You  notice  that  the 

1  Matt,  ii :  1-16. 

2  Luke  ii :  1-5. 

Positions  63,  64.  Maps  5,  7. 


140  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

higher  flanks  of  the  hills  are  bare  and  rocky,  with 
scarcely  a  vestige  of  soil.  If  this  land  possessed  the 
treasure  of  a  wise,  patriotic,  far-seeing  rule,  we  should 
soon  see  here  and  everywhere  the  mountain-sides  ter¬ 
raced,  the  earth  kept  in  place  and  no  longer  washed 
away  by  the  spring  rains,  and  the  area  of  tillage  con¬ 
stantly  climbing  higher  up  those  hills. 

But  let  us  turn  back  in  our  vision  to  a  time  seven¬ 
teen  hundred  years  before  Christ  appeared.  Then  these 
olive  orchards  were  unplanted,  and  on  the  plain  were 
doubtless  areas  of  pasturage  and  spots  of  sandy  wastes. 
Inhabitants  in  those  times  were  few,  but  the  great 
caravan  route  from  Damascus  to  Egypt  crossed  this 
plain  then,  just  as  it  does  to-day.  I  see  yonder  a  group 
of  shepherds  pasturing  their  flocks,  the  sheep  and  the 
goats  scattered  in  little  groups  over  the  rolling  meadows. 
Over  these  hills  walks  a  boy  alone,  fearless  of  danger, 
though  he  has  walked,  staff  in  hand,  all  the  way  from 
Hebron,  far  in  the  south,  more  than  seventy  miles. 
Never  fear,  for  that  boy  is  one  of  those  who  can  take 
care  of  himself,  and  perhaps  one  day  he  may  be  taking 
care  of  an  empire.  He  wears  a  gaily-colored,  varie¬ 
gated  robe,  which  shows  that  he  is  the  favorite  in  his 
father's  house.  He  has  sought  for  those  shepherds  far 
and  near,  and  now  they  are  in  sight.  Yes,  that  youth 
is  Joseph,  just  finding  his  brothers  here  on  the  plain 
of  Dothan.1  Somewhere  in  the  field  of  our  vision  at 
this  moment,  hidden  perhaps  by  these  olive  trees,  that 
meeting — big  with  fate — took  place. 

Well,  we  drop  down  the  stream  of  time  for  almost 
a  thousand  years,  and  look  at  Dothan  again.  A  little 
town  has  grown  up  since  Joseph  made  his  visit  here, 
and  in  it  for  a  time  is  dwelling  a  mighty  prophet; 

1  Genesis  xxxvli :  17. 


Position.  <54.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


147 


one  who  has  healed  a  leper,  and  brought  a  dead  child 
back  alive  to  his  mother’s  arms,  and  saved  the  land 
more  than  once  from  foreign  foes.  Do  you  remember 
that  time  when  Elisha’s  servant  looked  forth  and  saw 
the  Syrian  host  surrounding  the  city  T  That  array  was 
drawn  up  right  here  on  this  plain;  it  was  the  moun¬ 
tains  yonder  in  the  distance  that  a  moment  later  he 
saw  alive  with  an  angelic  host  of  defenders. 

Of  course,  an  event  like  the  selling  of  Joseph  would 
surely  have  its  traditional  exact  spot.  There  are  many 
pits  and  dry  cisterns  on  the  hillside  and  the  plain,  in 
any  one  of  which  Joseph  might  have  been  thrown  by 
his  brothers.  But  without  committing  ourselves  to  an 
acceptance  of  the  place,  let  us  look  at  the  one  which  is 
popularly  supposed  to  be  authentic. 

Position  65.  Joseph’s  Well,  in  Dothan 

One  obstacle  to  faith  in  this  locality  is  the  fact  that 
this  well  contains  water,  while  we  are  expressly  told 
that  the  pit  in  which  Joseph  was  placed  was  dry! 
However,  Genesis  xxxvii :  24  implies  that  it  was  a  well 
which  did  not  flow  during  the  dry  season.  This  well 
stands  close  to  the  main  caravan  road  between  Damas¬ 
cus  and  Egypt.  These  camels  resting  here  may  have 
brought  spicery  and  balm  and  myrrh  from  Gilead,  on 
their  way  to  Egypt,  and  these  men  certainly  look  like 
Ishmaelites,  or  Bedouin  Arabs.1  Do  you  notice  that 
there  is  a  trough  of  stone  around  the  well,  which  they 
have  filled  with  water  for  the  camels  ? 

While  we  do  not  locate  the  selling  of  Joseph  by  this 
identical  well,  we  are  sure  that  it  was  not  far  from 
this  place.  And  that  event,  personal  as  it  may  seem, 


a  II.  Kings  Vi :  13-17. 
1  Genesis  xxxvii :  26. 


Poaltiona  64,65.  Map  7. 


148  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

was  an  important  link  in  a  mighty  chain.  The  time 
had  come  for  the  little  clan  of  the  children  of  Israel 
to  leave  this  land.  They  were  in  danger  of  settling 
down  among  the  people  of  the  land,  marrying  and  being 
given  in  marriage  to  them.  If  the  mingling  that  began 
with  Esan2  had  gone  on,  Israel  would  have  lost  its 
religion  with  its  identity,  and  the  Bible  story  would 
have  been  unwritten.  But  J oseph  went  down  to  Egypt, 
his  ability  and  integrity  raised  him  from  a  slave’s  to 
a  prince’s  position,  and  enabled  him  to  bring  about 
“the  sojourn  in  Egypt,”  which  kept  the  Israelites  apart, 
gave  them  rapid  increase,  brought  them  under  the  in¬ 
fluence  of  the  highest  civilization  of  that  world,  and 
thus  helped  to  prepare  them  for  their  glorious  destiny. 

Let  us  find  in  the  general  map  the  great  plain  of 
Esdraelon,  between  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  the  Medi¬ 
terranean.  Notice  how  the  Carmel  range  of  mountains 
sweeps  around  it  on  the  west  and  south  in  a  great  curve. 
On  the  east  of  the  plain  three  mountains  rise,  almost 
in  a  row;  on  the  south  Mount  Gilboa;  in  the  middle, 
Little  Hermon,  called  in  the  book  of  Judges  “the  hill 
of  Moreh,”  and  on  the  north,  Mount  Tabor.  Now  look 
at  Map  6,  which  represents  a  section  of  Galilee.  Note 
that  we  visit  first  Mount  Gilboa,  the  largest  in  extent 
of  the  three  mountains  just  mentioned,  but  not  the 
highest.  On  the  northern  slope  of  this  mountain  we 
find  our  next  position. 

Position  66.  Gideon’s  Spring,  Mount  Gilboa 

This  spring  is  one  of  the  largest  natural  fountains  in 
the  land.  The  Bible  calls  it  “The  Well  of  Harod,”1 
which  means  “trembling,” — we  shall  find  how  it  gained 

2  Genesis  xxxvi :  1-3.  1  Judges  vii :  1, 


Positions  65,  66.  Maps  6,  7, 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


149 


its  name.  See  that  row  of  stones  in  the  edge  of  the 
pool;  they  are  worn  smooth  by  the  feet  of  people  who 
have  stood  on  them  to  drink.  How  ragged  are  the 
sides  of  the  mountain  that  overhang  the  water !  In 
the  early  days  of  the  judges,  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  was 
overrun  by  the  Midianites,  from  the  great  eastern 
desert,2  just  as  it  is  now  ravaged  occasionally  by  their 
descendants,  the  Bedouin  Arabs.  Then  arose  the 
champion  Gideon,  the  greatest  figure  in  the  age  of  the 
Judges.  He  sounded  the  trumpet  of  liberty,  and  gath¬ 
ered  a  little  army  on  these  slopes  of  Mount  Gilboa. 
But  when  his  raw  recruits  looked  over  the  plain  below, 
and  saw  it  black  with  the  tents  of  their  enemies,  they 
trembled,  and  out  of  thirty-two  thousand  of  Gideon’s 
men,  twenty-two  thousand  forsook  the  cause  in  fear.* 
No  wonder  that  this  pool  was  called  “The  Well  of 
Trembling!”  Do  you  recall  that  original  method  by 
which  Gideon  chose  to  select  the  heroes  from  his  re¬ 
maining  ten  thousand  men?  He  formed  them  in 
battle  array  on  the  heights,  then  started  them  on  the 
march  toward  the  plain,  as  if  to  attack  the  enemy  en¬ 
camped  on  the  north  and  west.  Do  you  not  see  the 
little  army  coming  down  the  hill?  As  if  to  refresh 
them  for  the  battle  Gideon  halts  his  band  at  this  spring. 
Now  watch  those  men  drink.  Most  of  them  fling  aside 
their  shields  and  spears,  and  drop  down  upon  their 
knees.  How  helpless  those  thousands  would  be  if  the 
enemy  should  come  climbing  up  the  rocks  at  that  min¬ 
ute  of  disorder!  But  there  are  a  few  here  and  there 
who  remain  on  guard.  Holding  fast  to  shield  and 
spear,  they  plunge  into  the  pool,  and  lap  the  water 
from  their  hands,  ready  for  the  fight,  even  while  drink¬ 
ing!4  Those  are  the  three  hundred  heroes  whose  self- 


position  66.  Maps  6,  7. 


2  Judges  vi  :l-6. 

8  Judges  vii :  3. 

4  Judges  vii :  5-7. 


150 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


control  and  courage  and  forethought  can  be  depended 
on — qualities  that  will  be  needed  in  the  night  attack 
that  Gideon  plans  to  make  on  the  Midianite  hosts.  You 
remember  that  battle  when  lamps,  pitchers  and  trum¬ 
pets  were  the  weapons  that  strangely  drove  the  enemy 
into  terror  and  into  flight.  That  great  victory,  which 
freed  the  central  tribes  from  their  foes  for  a  hundred 
years,  was  fought  on  the  plain  between  this  spring  and 
Little  Hermon  on  the  north. 

But  this  mountain  witnessed  another  and  a  darker 
day  in  the  history  of  Israel,  two  hundred  years  later. 
On  the  heights  above  this  spring,  King  Saul  made  his 
last  stand  against  the  Philistines.6  Gideon  had  led  his 
little  army  down  the  mountain  to  victory;  Saul  stayed 
upon  the  summit  to  meet  defeat  and  death.  Do  you 
remember  the  passionate  song  of  David  over  that  day’s 
slaughter  ?* 

“Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa, 

Let  there  be  no  dew  nor  rain  upon  you,  neither  fields  of 
offerings, 

For  there  the  shield  of  the  mighty  was  cast  away  as 
though  defiled, 

The  shield  of  Saul  as  though  not  anointed  with  oil.” 

What  a  melancholy  failure  was  Saul’s  reign!  He 
found  the  land  free,  united,  prosperous — he  left  it  rent 
asunder,  enslaved  by  a  foreign  foe,  and  in  utter  despair ; 
and  all  because  he  forsook  the  Lord  and  rejected  the 
counsel  of  His  prophet. 

Let  us  now  descend  to  the  plain  of  Esdraelon.  There 
we  shall  find  a  peaceful  spot  in  the  valley  of  a  small 
river.  Notice  that  the  red  lines  on  Map  6,  diverging 
from  point  67,  show  that  we  are  to  look  down  the  stream 
as  it  flows  toward  the  distant  Jordan. 

‘  I.  Samuel  xxxi :  1.  a  II.  Samuel  i :  17-27. 

Position  66.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


151 


Position  67.  “By  the  side  of  still  waters,”  on  the 
Plain  of  Jezreel 

Look  at  this  quiet  stream  meandering  in  many  wind¬ 
ings  through  the  plain!  See  these  flocks  pasturing  on 
its  banks,  drinking  from  its  water,  resting  by  its  side ! 
Do  you  notice  that  sheep  and  the  goats  keep  apart,1 
each  flock  finding  its  own  pasture-field?  There  is  the 
shepherd,  his  staff  in  his  hand.  That  shepherd  knows 
each  sheep  and  each  goat.  He  is  responsible  for  them 
all,  and  if  one  is  lost  he  must  make  it  good  to  the  owner. 
If  you  could  look  closely  on  his  staff,  you  might  find 
that  it  was  all  notched  from  end  to  end,  for  keeping  the 
tally  of  his  flock.  He  has  led  them  down  to  drink, 
and  now  he  is  just  leading  them  up  to  feed  on  the 
grassy  plain.  He  does  not  drive  his  flock,  as  shep¬ 
herds  do  in  our  land;  he  walks  before  them,  gives  a 
peculiar  call,  and  they  follow  him,  forsaking  this  field 
for  the  one  which  he  has  chosen.  The  sheep  here  are 
worth  two  dollars  or  so  apiece.  The  wool  business  in 
this  part  of  Palestine  is  to-day  one  of  the  most  import¬ 
ant  industries  in  the  land.  Ten  thousand  tons  are 
shipped  annually  from  Beirut.  The  industry  has  al¬ 
ways  been  familiar  to  the  people’s  minds.  The  work  of 
the  shepherd  is  something  they  all  understand. 

How  much  there  is  here  to  call  to  mind  what  David 
said,2  and  what  our  Lord  said,8  about  the  shepherd  and 
his  flock !  Did  David  compose  that  exquisite  poem 
while  he  was  a  shepherd  at  Bethlehem,  with  true  poet’s 
insight,  beholding  the  spiritual  law  in  the  natural 
world  ?  Or  was  it  written  late  in  his  life  from  his  pal¬ 
ace  on  Mount  Zion,  as  he  recalled  those  earlier  days 
when  he  sat  among  his  sheep,  with  no  thought  of  the 

1  Matt,  xxv  :  32,  33. 

2  Psalm  xxiii. 

8  John  x  :  1-18.  - 

Position  67.  Maps  6,  7. 


152  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLT  LAND 

royal  destiny  awaiting  him?  One  quality  of  David 
which  made  him  great  was  his  popular  sympathy.  He 
had  been  born  among  the  people,  not  in  the  purple. 
He  never  forgot  that  he  had  been  a  shepherd,  nor  was 
he  ashamed  to  recall  it  in  his  poetry.  He  knew  the 
wants,  and  longings,  and  aspirations  of  the  common 
masses,  and  he  knew  how  to  arouse  their  enthusiasm. 
He  found  the  land  under  a  foreign  yoke,  dissevered  and 
discordant.  He  linked  together  the  Twelve  Tribes  as 
one  man;  he  threw  off  the  Philistine  chain  from  Israel, 
and  then  bound  it  in  turn  over  Philistia;  in  one  gen¬ 
eration  he  established  an  empire  of  ten  times  the  ter¬ 
ritory  held  at  his  accession.  But  for  the  autocratic 
rule  of  his  son,  and  the  childish  folly  of  his  grandson, 
the  throne  of  David  might  have  held  a  place  in  history 
beside  the  thrones  of  Rameses,  of  Sargon,  of  Cyrus, 
among  the  great  monarchies  of  the  East. 

We  shall  climb  up  again,  as  Map  6  shows,  to  a  point 
a  little  to  the  west  of  Gideon’s  Spring  (Position  66), 
to  a  village  now  called  Zerin,  on  a  northwest  spur  of 
Mount  Gilboa.  Zerin  is  the  ancient  Jezreel,  so  often 
named  in  the  books  of  the  Kings,  and  from  it  we  shall 
look  on  Gideon’s  battlefield. 

Position  68.  Gideon’s  battlefield  and  Hill  of 
Moreh,  north  from  Jezreel 

Our  guide  sits  on  his  horse  here  on  the  summit  which 
is  piled  up  with  rocks  in  wild  disorder.  Do  you  know 
that  on  this  height  King  Ahab  built  his  summer  palace, 
where  the  cool  breezes  blow  over  the  plain,  straight  from 
the  western  sea?1  We  are  now  looking  toward  the 
north.  How  ample  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  looks  from 
our  elevation;  but  we  shall  take  a  wider  sweep  of  it  by 

1 1.  Kings  xxi :  1. 


Positions  67,  6S.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


153 


and  by.  Do  yon  notice  those  grassy  areas  yonder,  where 
the  streams  wandering  across  the  plain  keep  the 
meadows  green?  See  the  herd  of  black  cattle  brows¬ 
ing  npon  the  grass !  That  mountain  yonder  is  Little 
Hermon,  which  Bible  readers  recognize  as  “the  hill  of 
Moreh,”2  and  the  natives  here  call  Jebel  el  Duhy.  But 
our  interest  centers  on  these  fields  at  the  foot  of  the 
height,  divided  as  you  see  by  ditches  for  irrigation. 
There  was  once  Naboth’s  vineyard,8  bought  with  blood, 
and  for  which  a  still  higher  price  of  blood  was  paid  in 
the  generation  afterward.  Turn  back  to  a  day  when 
this  rough  ridge  was  covered  with  castles,  and  palaces 
and  houses.  Do  you  see  Queen  Jezebel  looking  out  of 
her  window  across  this  plain?  Do  you  see  King  Ahab 
in  his  chariot  viewing  the  vineyard  which  he  had  longed 
with  tears  to  possess,  and  which  is  now  his  own?  Do 
you  see  Elijah  standing  gaunt  and  grim  and  threatening 
in  his  presence?  Now  let  that  scene  dissolve  into  an¬ 
other,  fifteen  years  later.  Ahab  sleeps  in  his  sepulchre 
at  Samaria;4  but  what  is  that  bloody  corpse  lying  on 
the  ground  of  Naboth’s  vineyard?  It  is  Ahab’s  son, 
slain  by  the  arrow  of  Jehu,  and  thrown  over  the  wall 
on  the  spot  where  Naboth’s  blood  cried  for  vengeance, 
fifteen  years  before.5  Who  is  that  old  woman  with 
scornful,  painted  face,  wearing  a  crown  over  her 
widow’s  hood,  up  yonder  at  the  window  as  Jehu  rides 
by?  It  is  Jezebel,  meeting  her  doom,  resolute  and 
regal  to  the  last!5  These  rocks  before  us  seem  to  be 
red  even  yet,  spotted  as  they  were  with  the  blood  of 
Naboth,  and  Jehoram,  and  Jezebel! 

In  the  distance  we  see  the  southern  slopes  of  Little 
Hermon.  Let  us  pass  over  that  hill,  to  the  other  side, 

6  II.  Kings  ix:  24-26. 

•  II.  Kings  ix  :  30-37. 

Position  68.  Maps  6,  7. 


1  Judges  vii :  1. 

*  I.  Kings  xxi :  1-20. 
4 1.  Kings  xxli :  37. 


154 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


and  at  its  northwestern  end,  find  the  village  of  Nam. 
(See  Map  6). 

Position  69.  Village  of  Nain,  and  Mount  Tabor 

This  enclosure  just  below  us  with  its  three  arches  is 
a  sheepfold.  Through  the  day  the  shepherds  pasture 
their  flocks  on  the  plain,  and  at  night  they  lead  them 
to  this  door.  Beside  it  they  stand  while  the  sheep  and 
goats  pass  one  by  one  under  the  shepherd’s  staff,  on 
which  the  shepherd  meanwhile  keeps  the  count  by 
touching  a  notch  for  each  one.  These  fellahin  or  peas¬ 
antry  of  Palestine  can  rarely  read,  and  they  cannot  even 
count  beyond  the  number  five.  That  woman  is  smok¬ 
ing  one  of  the  long  pipes  so  common  in  the  East.  Nain, 
you  see,  is  a  squalid  village  of  twenty  Moslem  houses; 
but  it  bears  even  now  the  name  it  possessed  eighteen 
centuries  ago;  and  that  Greek  Church  yonder,  the  most 
substantial  building  in  the  place,  commemorates  the 
one  event  which  has  given  this  village  a  name  in  his¬ 
tory.  Just  outside  the  town  on  our  right  the  side  of 
the  hill  is  pierced  with  many  rock-hewn  tombs.  Do 
you  remember  how  our  Lord,  one  day,  in  His  Galilean 
ministry,  during  the  year  of  popularity,  walked  up  the 
road  from  the  Jordan  valley,  which  lies  outside  the 
range  of  our  vision  on  the  right?  At  the  gate  He  met 
a  funeral  procession;  a  young  man  borne  to  his  grave 
in  that  hillside.1  You  see  His  gentle  yet  authoritative 
touch  to  the  bier;  you  hear  His  words  of  consolation 
to  that  widowed  mother;  you  listen  to  His  command, 
which  that  dead  form  hears  and  obeys !  Nain  needs  but 
one  such  scene  in  its  history  to  gild  with  glory  its  walls, 
however  humble  they  may  be. 

Look  across  the  plain,  and  note  the  cultivated  fields 
in  sight.  Not  many  years  ago  scarcely  an  acre  of  the 

-  1  Luke  vii :  11-16. 

Position  09.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


155 


Plain  of  Esdraelon  was  tilled,  notwithstanding  its  rich¬ 
ness  of  soil.  The  Arabs  from  the  East  for  centuries 
kept  it  as  the  common  pasture-field  for  their  horses  and 
cattle,  and  would  allow  no  farmers  to  cultivate  it,  ex¬ 
cept  a  narrow  fringe  around  each  village.  But  there  is 
some  progress  even  under  Turkish  rule.  The  banditti 
have  been  repressed,  and  now  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  is 
rapidly  becoming  farm-land.  In  the  spring  it  is  one 
vast  prairie  of  green.  Consult  Map  6  again  and 
notice  that  we  are  looking  a  little  east  of  north  now,  so 
that  goodly  mountain  in  the  distance  is  Mount  Tabor, 
most  symmetrical  of  all  the  mountains  in  Palestine. 
We  may  not  accept  the  old  tradition  that  it  was  the 
scene  of  our  Saviour’s  Transfiguration;  that  is  now 
definitely  fixed  by  scholars  on  Mount  Hermon,  sixty 
miles  to  the  north.  Yet  Tabor  has  the  interest  of  beauty 
to  the  tourist,  and  of  history  to  the  Bible-student,  as 
we  shall  soon  find  when  we  visit  it. 

We  will  cross  that  plain,  take  our  stand  on  Mount 
Tabor,  as  our  map  shows,  and  from  that  point  look 
back  in  this  direction.  As  we  are  now  looking  nearly 
north,  from  a  spur  on  Little  Hermon,  we  shall  then  be 
looking  south. 

Position  70.  Looking  south  from  Mount  T abor 
to  the  Hill  of  Moreh 

This  black-robed,  white-hatted  figure  is  a  Roman 
Catholic  monk.  He  is  pointing  towards  Endor,  still 
bearing  its  ancient  name.  The  mountain  rising  most 
prominently  before  us  is  the  Hill  of  Moreh,  or  Little 
Herman,  from  which  we  have  just  come.  Away  at  the 
right  is  the  village  of  Nairn  We  can  see  its  one  sub¬ 
stantial  building,  the  Greek  chapel,  only  a  white  dot 
about  half-way  up  the  mountain  side.  The  dark  foli- 


Positicms  69,  70.  Maps  6,  7. 


156 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


age  just  above  those  cultivated  fields  on  our  left  locates 
the  village  of  Endor.  There  King  Saul  made  a  mid¬ 
night  visit,  just  before  his  last  battle.1  He  came  from 
Mount  G-ilboa,  which  we  see  in  the  distance,  to  the  left 
of  Little  Hermon,  crossed  the  plain  between  the  two 
mountains,  passed  through  that  valley  which  you  see 
at  the  eastern  end  of  Little  Hermon,  rode  around  to  the 
left,  and  yonder  at  Endor  under  the  hill  received  the 
warning  from  the  ghost  of  Samuel  of  his  coming  doom ! 
How  real  the  story  seems  as  we  trace  on  this  field  the 
journey  of  the  despairing  Saul ! 

If  this  view  reminds  us  of  a  disastrous  defeat,  it 
reminds  us  also  of  a  glorious  victory.  Right  here, 
where  these  two  figures  are  standing,  Barak  gathered 
his  little  army  to  fight  the  Canaanites,  early  in  the 
epoch  of  the  Judges.2  The  tents  of  Sisera  were  spread 
out  yonder  on  that  plain,  which  has  been  the  field  of 
many  battles — perhaps  more  than  any  other  plain  on 
earth,  from  Barak  even  to  Napoleon.  But  the  real  gen¬ 
eral  of  the  Israelite  army  on  that  day  was  not  Barak ;  it 
was  a  woman:  Deborah,  the  only  woman  whose  name 
appears  on  the  list  of  the  Judges  of  Israel.  Her  spirit 
aroused  the  revolt  against  the  Canaanites,  her  wisdom 
guided  it,  her  courage  supported  it,  and  her  song  com¬ 
memorated  it.8  Down  these  slopes  at  our  feet  rushed 
the  little  army  of  Israel,  over  yonder  plain  toward  the 
right,  fled  the  chariots  of  Sisera  and  his  terror-stricken 
host,  until  they  were  entangled  in  the  marshes  of  the 
River  Kishon. 

“They  fought  from  heaven, 

The  stars  in  their  courses  fought  against  Sisera. 

The  river  Kishon  swept  them  away, 

That  ancient  river,  the  river  Kishon! 

O,  my  soul,  march  on  with  strength!” 

1 1.  Samuel  xxviii :  7-25. 

2  Judges  iv  :  1-24. 

-  8  Judges  v  :  1-31. 

Position  70.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


157 


Notice  on  Map  6,  about  six  miles  due  west  of  Mount 
Tabor,  another  hill  which  on  its  southern  side  over¬ 
looks  the  entire  Plain  of  Esdraelon.  We  will  pass  over 
that  hill,  which  the  traveler  finds  a  weary  climb,  almost 
a  scramble,  and  on  its  northern  side  find  a  natural  am¬ 
phitheatre,  within  which  lies  one  of  the  most  famous 
towns  in  Palestine.  Find  our  seventy-first  position  on 
Map  6  and  observe  how  the  red  lines  reach  from  it  to 
the  town. 

Position  71.  Nazareth,  the  home  of  the  Child 
Jesus 

Eemain  for  some  time  on  this  hill,  at  the  northeast¬ 
ern  end  of  the  town,  and  look  down  upon  the  view  that 
our  Lord  must  have  seen  hundreds  of  times.  Perhaps 
in  His  day  the  town  may  have  stood  higher  up  on  the 
side  of  yonder  hill,  but  otherwise  at  this  distance  it 
may  have  appeared  much  as  it  appears  to  us  now.  As  we 
are  looking  southwest  here,  the  distant  mountain,  dimly 
seen  over  the  ridge  to  the  left,  must  be  part  of  the 
Carmel  range.  But  look  at  that  road  close  in  front 
of  us :  that  is  one  of  the  few  good  pieces  of  road-making 
in  all  this  land,  and  it  does  not  extend  far  from  the 
city.  Do  you  see  the  road  below  on  the  left,  which 
leads  directly  to  the  town?  A  short  distance  down  that 
road,  but  almost  hidden  from  our  sight  by  buildings  just 
beyond,  is  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  which  we  must 
visit  when  we  have  surveyed  this  landscape.  That  open 
field,  apparently  oval  in  shape,  containing  a  few  olive- 
trees,  is  the  Mohammedan  cemetery.  On  the  right  of 
it  is  another  field  of  olives,  where  tourists  encamp.  The 
group  of  buildings  just  in  front  of  us,  on  the  right 
of  the  road  leading  to  the  town,  belongs  to  the  Russian 
Greeks,  and  the  people  of  that  faith  dwell  in  this  sec- 

Position  71.  Maps  6,  7. 


158  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

tion.  Beyond  the  cemetery  is  the  Moslem  quarter. 
The  Roman  Catholics  are  on  the  hillside  further  still. 
In  all  Oriental  cities  the  inhabitants  divide  along  the 
lines  of  their  religious  faith.  Nazareth  is  a  little  less 
than  Bethlehem  in  size,  containing  about  seventy-five 
hundred  people,  but  among  them  are  represented  five 
different  religions,  and  all  live  apart  from  each  other. 
Yet  four  of  the  five  churches  profess  to  walk  in  the 
steps  of  One  who  grew  from  childhood  to  manhood  in 
this  city,  and  Whose  prayer  was  that  all  His  followers 
might  be  one  flock.1 

Great  bands  of  pilgrims  come  here  every  year;  fifty 
or  sixty  thousand  come  from  Russia  alone.  Schools, 
hospitals  and  asylums  are  maintained  here  by  Greek, 
Latin  and  Protestant  Christians. 

There  is  one  Name  above  every  name  associated  with 
this  city;  and  although  we  cannot  point  to  one  spot 
more  than  another  as  the  home  of  Jesus,  yet  we  know 
that  He  must  have  walked  these  streets,  and  climbed 
these  hills,  and  viewed  this  valley.2  In  what  kind  of  a 
house  may  we  suppose  that  Joseph  the  carpenter  and 
his  wife  lived  with  their  Son?  Perhaps  it  was  not 
unlike  the  homes  of  the  humbler,  yet  not  the  poorest 
people,  as  we  see  them  now,  one  story  high,  made  of 
rough  stone  plastered,  with  a  door,  but  not  certainly  a 
window.  Do  you  know  that  was  the  reason  why  the 
woman  in  the  parable  lighted  her  lamp  when  she  would 
look  for  the  lost  piece  of  silver,  as  Jesus  had  seen  His 
Mother  do  many  a  time — there  was  no  window  in  her 
one-room  house!*  If  we  should  look  inside  its  door  we 
should  find  no  carpet  on  the  earthen  floor,  no  chair, 
no  bedstead,  no  table,  and  not  a  picture  on  the  wall. 

1  John  xvii :  20,  21.  8  Luke  xv  :  8,  9. 

a  Matt,  il :  23  :  Luke  1 :  26,  27  ;  Luke  ii :  39,  40. 


Position  71.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


159 


Everybody  naturally  uses  for  illustrations  the  facts  that 
he  is  most  familiar  with.  Might  we  not  find  in  the 
parables  of  Jesus  a  list  of  the  furniture  in  His  home? 
There  was  a  lamp  on  its  stand;4  a  measure,  used  also  as 
a  receptacle  for  food;  a  bed  of  a  roll  of  matting.6  The 
only  chimney  may  have  been  a  hole  in  the  roof.  Jesus 
never  owned  a  Bible,  nor  any  part  of  it,  though  he  saw 
it  every  week  in  the  synagogue,*  and  learned  its  words 
by  heart  in  the  boys’  school,  held  through  the  week  in 
the  same  building.  Joseph’s  wage  as  a  carpenter  was 
the  value  of  ten  cents  per  day;7  yet  on  such  slender 
means  he  brought  up  a  large  family  of  sons  and  daugh¬ 
ters.8  One  of  his  younger  sons  wrote  a  book  which 
is  read  throughout  the  world,  in  every  language  under 
heaven;*  and  that  oldest  child  in  his  house  grew  up 
the  one  consummate,  ideal  man,  before  whose  feet  the 
loftiest  of  earth  are  proud  to  bow!1* 

It  is  only  a  few  steps  down  that  street  to  the  left,  be¬ 
fore  we  reach  a  celebrated  local  landmark. 

Position  72.  Ancient  “Fountain  of  the  Virgin,” 
Nazareth 

Notice  that  little  recess  arched  over :  that  is  the  foun¬ 
tain  from  which  the  people  of  Nazareth  have  obtained 
water  for  centuries  unknown.  The  source  of  the  sup¬ 
ply  is  a  spring  which  bubbles  up  under  the  floor  of  a 
church  at  some  distance  up  the  hill.  This  arch  may 
be  modern,  but  the  fountain  is  very  ancient.  It  re¬ 
ceives  its  name  from  the  Mother  of  our  Lord,  who  must 
have  journeyed  to  this  spring  daily  for  water,  just  as 
now  you  will  see  a  procession  of  women  walking  thither- 

4  Matt,  v  :  15.  8  Matt,  xlii :  55,  56. 

6  Luke  xi :  7;  Mark  ii :  11,12.  9  James  i :  1. 

«  Luke  i r  :  18.  10  Philippians  ii :  9-11. 

T  Matt,  xx :  2.  - 


Powltlona  71,  72.  Map*  6,  7. 


160  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

ward,  with  their  water- jars  poised  on  head  or  shoulder, 
morning  and  evening.  See  that  young  woman  in  front, 
with  her  little  boy: — I  wonder  whether  the  costumes 
of  Mary  and  her  little  Son  looked  like  the  dress  of 
that  pair.  Perhaps  they  did,  except  for  the  fez  cap, 
which  is  a  modern  fashion.  How  much  do  you  suppose 
that  jar  of  water  will  weigh?  I  once  tried  to  lift  a 
filled  jar,  as  it  stood  on  that  corner  of  the  well  nearest 
to  us,  and  found  it  all  that  I  cared  to  lift.  A  woman 
smiled  at  my  awkwardness,  picked  up  the  jar  in  an 
easy  swing,  lifted  it  on  her  shoulder,  and  walked  away 
with  it  in  apparent  ease.  Hear  at  hand,  there  on  the 
right,  is  the  Khan  of  the  village  where  caravans  stop, 
and  where  a  cattle-market  is  now  in  progress.  Daily, 
Mary  and  the  Child  Jesus  must  have  walked  hand  in 
hand  to  this  spring,  for  it  was  then,  and  is  yet,  the  uni¬ 
versal  custom  for  the  women  to  carry  the  water  to  the 
home.  While  it  is  not  mentioned  in  the  gospel-story,  it 
is  one  of  the  places  which  connect  the  present  life  of  this 
land  directly  with  the  events  of  nineteen  hundred  years 
ago. 


A  little  west  of  this  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  back 
of  it  and  at  our  left,  there  is  an  old  Greek  church.  A 
tradition  dating  as  far  back  as  the  sixth  century  after 
Christ,  gives  to  this  site  a  peculiar  interest. 

Position  73.  Greek  church,  on  the  supposed  site 
of  the  ancient  synagogue,  where  Christ 
taught 

We  are  looking  northeast.  In  the  distance  rises  the 
hill  from  which  we  looked,  at  Position  71.  As  you  see, 
there  is  nothing  very  prepossessing  in  this  building; 
nor  is  it  very  ancient.  Look  at  its  bare  walls,  and  nar- 


Positions  72,  73.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  161 

row  windows,  and  small  entrance-doors.  Notice  that 
at  either  end  it  is  approached  by  stone  steps  leading 
down  to  it  from  the  higher  streets  on  the  hillside. 
Glance  at  those  people  standing  on  the  pavement.  One 
of  them,  only,  wears  a  straw  hat;  that  stamps  him  as  a 
“Frank,”  which  is  the  name  the  Orientals  give  to  one 
who  comes  from  Europe  or  America.  Now  for  the 
tradition  about  this  church;  it  is  said  to  stand  upon 
the  site  of  the  synagogue  where  Jesus  was  wont  to  wor¬ 
ship  in  His  youth,  and  where  he  preached  His  first 
discourse  in  Galilee.1 

What  would  we  not  give  if  in  place  of  this  modern 
church,  that  old  synagogue  were  standing  here  to-day? 
Well,  suppose  we  reconstruct  it.  It  faces  the  north  in 
order  to  have  the  platform  and  the  “Ark”  on  the  end 
nearest  Jerusalem.  That  would  bring  the  entrance  up 
at  the  farther  end  beyond  the  gate  of  the  present  build¬ 
ing.  This  window  with  iron  bars  is  toward  the  south; 
and  directly  under  it  within  was  the  sacred  chest  from 
which  “the  minister”  took  forth  the  roll  of  the  prophet 
Isaiah  which  he  handed  to  Jesus.2  That  title,  by  the 
way,  scarcely  expresses  the  function  of  this  officer.  He 
was  the  Hazzan — combining  in  one  person  the  duties  of 
janitor  to  care  for  the  building,  the  clerk  to  lead  the 
responses,  and  the  master  of  the  village  school,  held  in 
the  same  edifice.  Perhaps  the  man  who  gave  the  roll 
to  Jesus  on  that  day  was  the  schoolmaster  who,  seated 
on  that  very  floor,  had  taught  Him  to  read  the  law! 
The  worshippers  are  seated  on  rugs,  laid  upon  the  stone 
floor.  Yonder  upstairs  is  a  latticed  gallery  where  one 
might  see  the  flash  of  dark  eyes.  That  gallery  is  for 
the  women,  who  may  not  sit  with  their  husbands,  but 
can  hear  the  service  without  being  seen.  Maybe  a  sister 

1  Luke  iv  :  16-30. 

2  Luke  lv  :  17,  20.  - 

Position.  73.  Maps  6,  7. 


162  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

or  two  of  the  young  Rabbi  Jesus,  just  from  Jerusalem, 
is  listening  up  there  for  her  famous  brother’s  voice ! 
Jesus  has  stayed  one  year  in  Judea,  and  then  by  way 
of  Samaria  and  Jacob’s  Well  He  has  come  to  Galilee, 
His  boyhood  home.*  He  came  straightway  to  Nazareth, 
and  would  have  made  this  place  the  center  of  His  Gali¬ 
lean  ministry ;  but  its  people  would  not  believe  that  One 
who  had  been  so  recently  a  carpenter  among  them  could 
be  a  prophet.  They  listened  coldly  to  Him,  drove  Him 
out  of  the  synagogue,  and  would  have  slain  Him  if  He 
had  not  escaped  their  hands.  What  an  honor,  above  all 
other  cities  in  Galilee,  Nazareth  lost  on  that  day. 

Before  we  leave  Nazareth  let  us  take  a  moment  to 
notice  more  closely  the  face  and  dress  of  a  typical  Naza¬ 
reth  woman. 

Position  74.  A  Christian  girl  of  Nazareth 

She  is  on  her  way  to  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  to 
fill  that  empty  water- jar,  which  is  balanced  on  her  head. 
When  she  returns,  it  will  be  upright,  and  full  of  water, 
but  she  will  walk  erect,  with  easy  gait,  over  the  rough, 
irregular  stones  in  the  pavement.  Her  veil  hangs  down 
her  back;  when  she  is  married,  she  may  be  less  willing 
to  let  her  face  be  seen ;  though  in  this  respect  the  Chris¬ 
tian  women  are  freer  than  the  Turkish.  Notice  the  em¬ 
broidered  jacket  that  she  wears;  and  the  chain  hung 
with  metal  disks.  They  are  not  coins,  though  they  look 
like  them.  There  are  about  fifty-five  hundred  Chris¬ 
tians  of  the  various  sects  in  Nazareth,  including  two 
hundred  Protestants.  Perhaps  this  girl  was  educated 
at  the  English  Protestant  school,  just  outside  the  city 
on  the  hill.  In  that  case,  she  has  learned  a  little  Eng- 

*  John  ir :  1-4. 


Positions  73,  74.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


163 


lish.  It  is  remarkable  the  ease  with  which  these  Oriental 
people  will  learn  a  language.  Arithmetic,  and  all 
studies  requiring  the  reasoning  faculties,  are  very  diffi¬ 
cult  to  them,  and  they  wrestle  hard  with  figures,  even 
when  trying  to  make  change  with  money.  But  they 
can  pick  up  a  language  readily,  and  many  can  speak 
three  or  four,  with  fluency.  How  dark  and  gloomy 
is  that  room  which  you  see  through  the  grated  windows ! 
There  is  no  glass,  you  perceive.  Houses  with  glass  win¬ 
dows  in  this  land  are  for  the  rich,  not  for  common  peo¬ 
ple;  indeed,  the  lower  floor  in  a  house  like  this  is  a 
storeroom  scarcely  ever  occupied  by  the  family. 

As  Map  6  shows  us,  about  ten  miles  west  of  Naza¬ 
reth  there  rises  a  rocky  ridge  which  juts  far  out  into  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon  toward  the  northeast,  and  in  fact  al¬ 
most  divides  it  into  two  sections,  the  one  eastward, 
which  we  have  already  seen,  and  another  plain  looking 
seaward.  We  go  to  Sheikh  Barak,  as  indicated  on  the 
map,  and  stand  on  the  spot  marked  75,  facing  nearly 
west. 

Position  75.  Western  end  of  the  Plain  of  Esdrae¬ 
lon,  and  Mount  Carmel 

You  can  see  that  Mount  Carmel  from  this  point  is 
not  far  away.  We  are  looking  on  its  northern  slope. 
Away  to  the  right  rolls  the  Mediterranean,  though  un¬ 
seen  here.  Can  you  trace  the  banks  of  the  River  Kishon, 
winding  through  the  plain?  Notice  that  the  land¬ 
scape  is  all  laid  out  in  fields  and  carefully  cultivated. 
It  contains  a  very  rich  soil,  and  well  repays  the  labor 
employed  upon  it;  but  taxes — the  bane  of  the  farmer 
through  all  the  Turkish  empire — eat  up  almost  all 
the  crops.  This  knoll  from  which  we  are  looking  over 
the  plain  has  its  tradition.  It  is  called  by  the  natives 


Poaitiona  74,  75.  Map*  6,  7. 


164 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


Sheikh  Barak,  and  it  is  believed  by  them  to  be  the  burial 
place  of  Barak,  who  with  Deborah  led  the  Israelites 
against  the  Canaanites  at  Mount  Tabor — (Position  70). 
Look  at  this  building,  where  three  figures  are  seen 
standing  on  the  roof.  You  will  notice  that  its  walls 
are  of  rough  stone,  smeared  with  common  clay  for 
mortar.  For  a  roof  they  lay  a  row  of  poles  across  from 
side  to  side.  Do  you  see  the  end  of  the  poles  jutting 
out  over  the  wall?  On  the  poles  they  place  a  layer  of 
bushes,  laid  flat;  on  this  they  spread  clay,  and  over  all 
rushes  are  often  spread.  Sometimes  there  is  quite  a 
goatVpasture  on  the  roof  of  a  house,  illustrating  one 
of  the  many  unchanged  features  in  this  land.1  Notice 
the  poles  laid  down  to  keep  the  rushes  from  blowing 
away.  Can  you  see  the  wooden  plow  hung  up  on  the 
wall  for  safe-keeping?  See  its  pointed  plowshare,  and 
the  handle  for  the  driver  to  hold !  The  oxen  are  yoked 
to  the  long  pole.  That  is  the  same  ancient  style  of  plow 
that  we  saw  the  men  using  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon. 
That  little  mound  with  the  opening  at  the  end,  is  an 
oven,  where  they  bake  the  round,  flat  loaves  of  bread, 
on  which  the  common  people  live. 

From  this  prominence  at  Sheikh  Barak,  we  shall 
cross  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon  at  this  its  narrowest  part, 
and  advance  two  or  three  miles  southwest  to  a  point 
on  the  eastern  slope  of  this  Mount  Carmel  range,  which 
is  held  to  be  the  place  of  Elijah’s  sacrifice.  On  the 
way,  though,  we  shall  stop  to  look  at  the  famous  Kishon 
Kiver,  down  in  the  plain.  Notice  how  the  red  lines  on 
Map  6  show  that  when  you  are  standing  at  position 
76  you  will  be  looking  southward  across  the  river  and 
toward  Mount  Carmel. 

1  Psalms  cxxix  :  6;  II.  Kings  xix  :  26. 

Position  75.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


165 


Position  76.  The  river  Kishon,  where  Elijah 
slew  the  prophets  of  Baal,  and  Mount  Carmel 

How  calmly  the  little  stream  winds  on  its  way  around 
the  plain.  In  its  general  course  it  follows  the  direction 
of  Mount  Carmel,  from  the  southeast  to  the  north¬ 
west.  Its  many  tributary  streams  water  the  entire 

Plain  of  Esdraelon  and  make  this  a  garden.  There  are 
times  after  the  spring  rains  when  its  tide  is  swollen, 
and  sweeps  over  these  fields  like  a  lake.  This  peaceful 
little  river  has  witnessed  many  scenes  of  blood.  The 
Canaanite  host,  under  Sisera,  were  swept  in  defeat 

across  this  plain,  when  Deborah  and  Barak  won  their 

victory,  and  horseman  and  charioteer  were  swept  down 
together  in  the  current  of  this  river,1  now  so  peaceful. 
Four  centuries  after  Deborah,  on  the  evening  of  Eli¬ 
jah’s  great  sacrifice,  when  the  fire  fell  from  heaven,  it 
was  beside  this  river  that  the  priests  of  Baal  met  their 
doom,  as  deceivers  of  the  people.2  Three  hundred 
years  after  Elijah,  the  young  king  of  Judah — Josiah — 
vainly  strove  to  beat  back  the  host  of  Egypt  on  this 
plain.  He  fell,  and  with  him  fell  the  last  hope  of 
Judah  and  Jerusalem.8  Crusaders  and  Saracens  bat¬ 
tled  here;  and  Napoleon  led  his  legions  to  victory  in 
sight  of  these  mountains,  almost  in  our  own  century. 
There  is  not  a  plain  on  all  the  earth  that  has  soaked  up 
so  much  human  blood  as  this  Plain  of  Esdraelon. 

Beyond  those  fields,  nearer  us  than  at  any  other 
time  so  far,  rises  the  side  of  Mount  Carmel.  But  among 
those  curving  slopes  is  a  natural  terrace  of  rock,  called 
by  the  natives  el  Mahrakah,  “the  place  of  sacrifice.” 
We  go  there  now.  The  spot  is  marked  77  on  Map  6, 

1  Judges  iv  :  15, 16  ;  Judges  v  :  19-22. 

2  I.  Kings  xviii :  40. 

8 II.  Chron.  xxxv  :  20-25.  - 

Position  76.  Maps  6,  7. 


166 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


and  the  red  lines  show  we  are  to  look  far  northward 
across  the  river. 

Position  77.  Rock  of  Elijah’s  altar  on  Mount 
Carmel,  and  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon 

Yonder  stretches  away  the  great  plain.  Perhaps  you 
can  trace  some  of  the  windings  of  the  River  Kishon 
upon  it.  This  dark  ridge  close  at  hand  is  the  south¬ 
eastern  flank  of  Mount  Carmel.  Do  you  notice  two 
rocks  yonder  upon  which  a  flash  of  light  has  fallen? 
Look  closely,  and  to  the  left  of  them  you  may  see  an 
opening  in  the  rocks.  Within  that  hollow  is  a  spring 
that  may  have  supplied  the  water  with  which  Elijah 
drenched  his  altar  before  the  great  sacrifice.1  But  in 
the  base  of  the  mountain,  not  far  away,  is  a  larger 
spring,  which  is  one  of  the  sources  of  the  Kishon,  and 
is  more  likely  to  have  been  used  by  Elijah.  Notice  the 
little  plain,  strewn  with  rocks.  Only  a  part  of  this 
plain  enters  our  field  of  vision  at  this  moment,  but  it 
is  large  enough  for  us  to  imagine  the  multitudes  of 
Israel  assembled  upon  it,  King  Ahab  seated  in  his 
chariot  among  them,  to  watch  the  struggle  between  the 
solitary  prophet  of  Jehovah  and  the  eight  hundred 
priests  of  the  idol-gods.1  Notice  the  plateau  where 
the  dragoman  points  to  the  rocks  with  his  sword. 
That  is  the  spot  where  unvarying  tradition  declares 
that  Elijah’s  altar  stood.  You  can  imagine  the  twelve 
rough  stones  piled  up,  the  trench  dug  out  of  the  shal¬ 
low  earth  around  it,  the  Wood  heaped  in  order,  the  sac¬ 
rifice  laid  upon  it.*  Now  see  the  water  brought  from 
yonder  spring,  or  perhaps  from  the  other  spring,  half 
a  mile  away,  and  poured  upon  the  altar,  until  it  is 

1 1.  Kings  xviii :  33.  2  I.  Kings  xviii :  19,  20. 

-  •  I.  Kings  xviii :  30-32. 

Position  77.  Maps  0,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


167 


all  dripping  and  the  trench  around  it  is  full.  Listen 
now  to  the  prayer  of  that  lonely  man  of  God,  and  see 
its  answer  as  the  lightning  falls  from  the  blue  sky, 
consuming  the  offering  and  licking  up  the  water  in  the 
trenches !  There  is  a  moment  of  awe-stricken  silence, 
and  then  the  cry  of  the  throng  goes  up,  “Jehovah,  He 
is  God  The  victory  has  been  won,  and  the  God  of 
Elijah  is  the  God  of  Israel ! 

On  Mount  Carmel  we  find  a  settlement  of  those 
strange  people,  the  Druses,  whose  religion  is  kept  as  a 
mystery  and  whose  worship  is  rendered  in  secret.  On 
our  way  along  the  Carmel  range  to  the  sea,  we  will 
pause  and  take  a  look  at  some  of  these  people.  The 
encircled  78  on  Map  6  shows  where  we  are  to  pause 
among  the  mountains. 

Position  78.  Druse  women  at  the  village  oven, 
Dalieh,  Mount  Carmel 

The  Druses  are  pure  descendants  of  the  ancient 
Phoenicians.  Their  exceeding  exclusiveness  has  pre¬ 
vented  their  identity  being  lost  among  the  other  races. 
Let  us  now  examine  the  scene  before  us.  The  primi¬ 
tive  headdress  of  these  Druse  women  is  very  pictur¬ 
esque.  That  barefooted  woman  on  the  left  is  about  to 
go  to  the  spring  for  water,  her  jar  upon  her  head! 
That  other  woman  who  has  her  back  toward  us,  has 
a  pan  of  dough  upon  her  head,  which  she  is  soon  to 
roll  out  into  flat  loaves.  Another  by  the  doorway  has 
her  bread  already  baked.  Do  you  see  those  thin  loaves 
in  her  pan?  The  woman  holding  her  baby  with  one 
hand,  with  the  other  lifts  up  the  flat  woven  basket  on 
which  the  bread  is  to  be  kneaded  and  then  rolled  out. 

4  I.  Kings  xviii :  36-39. 

Position*  77,  79.  Map*  6,  7. 


168  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

The  brush  beside  the  door  is  fuel.  Trees  are  very, 
very  scarce  in  this  country.  Once  they  were  abundant; 
now  the  principal  fuel  is  of  weeds,  brush  and  roots 
dug  up  where  forests  were  growing  centuries  ago. 
Such  light  fuel  is  burned  right  in  the  oven  with  the 
bread.1  The  oven  serves  for  the  entire  village.  Here 
are  a  number  of  women  who  seem  to  be  harmoniously 
baking  together.  You  notice  that  its  walls  are  of  rough 
stone,  plastered  with  clay.  It  is  only  one  story  high, 
for  you  can  see  the  shadow  of  the  roof -beams  overhead. 
The  people  of  this  land  live  mostly  on  their  hard  bread 
and  olives.  After  a  meal  of  not  more  than  quarter  the 
amount  that  we  should  think  needful,  an  Oriental  will 
ride  all  day,  or  will  work  in  the  field  from  sunrise 
until  dark. 

We  continue  our  way  along  the  line  of  the  Carmel 
range  of  mountains,  as  you  see  on  the  map,  northwest 
to  its  end,  and  from  its  terminal  slope  look  to  the  north¬ 
east  to  Haifa  and  the  Bay  of  Akka.  (Find  Position 
79  on  Map  6). 

Position  79.  Haifa  and  the  Bay  of  Akka,  east 
from  Mount  Carmel 

Just  before  us  is  an  embankment  on  the  end  of 
Mount  Carmel,  bordered  with  a  high  wall,  and  planted 
with  olive  trees.  Do  you  notice,  too,  the  olives  on  the 
lower  slopes  of  the  mountain?  At  the  foot  of  Mount 
Carmel,  here  by  the  sea,  we  come  to  the  end  of  the 
Plain  of  Esdraelon,  around  which  we  have  been  travel¬ 
ing.  From  this  point  the  plain  extends  twenty-five 
miles  to  the  southeast.  That  town  vonder  is  Haifa, 
one  of  the  few  places  on  this  coast  where  ships  pause; 

1  Matt,  vi :  30. 


Positions  78,  70.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


169 


but  here,  as  at  Jaffa,  the  vessels  lie  at  anchor  in  the 
open  roadstead,  and  passengers  are  brought  ashore  in 
small  boats.  The  path  which  you  can  trace  around 
the  mountain,  and  half  way  up  the  height,  is  the  road 
to  Haifa.  Do  you  notice  a  modern  look  to  this  land¬ 
scape?  Trade  has  come  to  this  section  of  the  land, 
and  it  shows  contact  with  the  prosperous  European 
world.  There  is  here  a  large  and  enterprising  Ger¬ 
man  colony  whose  enlightened,  energetic  work  in  vari¬ 
ous  lines  of  industry  is  serving  as  an  object  lesson  to 
the  community  as  a  whole.  The  German  emperor 
landed  here  at  Haifa  when  he  visited  Palestine  in  1898. 

In  old  times  some  of  the  most  impressive  and  beauti¬ 
ful  passages  in  the  Books  of  the  Kings  were  associated 
with  this  region.  Somewhere  on  this  height  of  Car¬ 
mel,  Elijah  the  prophet  climbed1  at  the  close  of  that 
day  when  Jehovah  and  Baal  met  at  the  two  altars. 
He  looked  toward  the  sea  yonder,  and  then  up  to  the 
sky,  but  there  was  no  sign  of  rain,  for  drought  had 
shriveled  the  land  for  three  years.  He  prayed  alone 
upon  the  mountain  top,  and  yonder,  like  a  man’s  hand, 
a  little  cloud  arose  out  of  the  Mediterranean.  That 
night  the  people  rejoiced,  for  the  ban  had  been  taken 
from  the  land,  and  the  long-delayed  rain  had  come! 

On  Map  6  the  route  now  passes  around  Carmel  to 
the  left,  crosses  the  plain  about  which  we  have  lingered 
so  long,  and  finds  again  Nazareth  on  its  northern  bor¬ 
der.  From  this  point  we  set  out  for  a  journey  farther 
north  among  the  mountains  of  Galilee.  About  four 
miles  northeast  of  Nazareth  we  find  Kefr-Kenna, 
which  is  believed  to  be  Cana  of  Galilee.  You  will  find 
our  eightieth  standpoint  located  on  Map  6,  showing 

1 1.  Kings  xviii :  41-46. 

Position  79.  Maps  9,  7. 


170 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


that  Nazareth  will  be  directly  behind  us  as  we  stand 
there,  only  a  few  miles  away. 

Position  80.  Cana  of  Galilee  and  its  well,  from 
the  south 

Do  you  see  that  village  yonder  upon  the  hill?  That 
is  Cana,  but  a  very  different  place  in  its  present  con¬ 
dition  from  the  Cana  which  Jesus  visited  at  least 
twice.  Just  before  us  is  the  old  well  of  the  town.  It 
is  very  likely  that  the  water  which  became  wine  was 
drawn  at  this  very  well;  for  we  have  already  learned 
that  the  village  well  is  apt  to  be  one  of  the  most 
abiding  institutions  in  the  East.  The  well  has  steps 
leading  down  to  the  water,  and  on  the  left  is  the  trough 
where  the  animals  drink.  Here  are  cattle  that  have 
been  drinking,  and  camels  patiently  awaiting  their 
turn,  and  goats  and  sheep  grouped  around.  Once  a 
row  of  servants  came  down  from  that  village  to  this 
well.  There  was  to  be  a  wedding,  and  much  water 
would  be  needed  for  the  washing  of  the  guests.  Can 
you  not  see  the  women  of  the  household  replenishing 
their  jars  again  and  again,  to  fill  the  six  waterpots  of 
stone  in  the  court  of  a  house  yonder  on  the  hill?1 
There  is  a  sudden  increase  in  the  company,  for  Jesus 
has  come  from  the  River  Jordan,  with  a  half  dozen  of 
His  friends.  That  noble-looking  matron  conversing  with 
Him  quietly  in  the  corner  has  an  anxious  expression  on 
her  brow,  for  she  is  a  friend  of  the  family,  and  the  wine 
for  the  feast  is  spent.  See  the  servants  filling  their 
jars  at  the  great  stone  water  vessels !  They  who  draw 
the  water  first  learn  that  a  marvel  has  been  wrought, 
and  that  the  age  of  miracles  has  dawned  once  more. 
A  year  passes  by,  a  year  of  work  in  Judea,  and  again 

1  John  ii :  1-11. 

Position  80.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


171 


Jesus  and  his  disciples  are  at  Cana.2  Who  is  this  man 
in  the  robes  of  the  court  in  such  haste  to  find  Jesus? 
He  is  a  nobleman  living  down  at  Capernaum  by  the 
sea,  fifteen  miles  away;  and  he  has  come  to  bring  the 
Mighty  Healer  to  the  bedside  of  his  fever-smitten  boy. 
But  see,  he  goes  away  alone,  yet  glad,  for  he  bears  with 
him  the  Master’s  word,  “Thy  son  liveth!”  Thus  two 
miracles,  a  year  apart,  are  made  very  real  to  us  as  we 
look  up  to  that  ancient  village  on  yonder  hill. 

About  ten  miles  northeast  from  Cana,  and  five  miles 
west  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  stands  a  double-peaked 
mountain,  whose  form  doubtless  suggested  its  name, 
Kurun  Hattin,  “The  Horns  of  Hattin.”  Tradition 
names  this  as  the  mountain  where  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  was  given.  Thither  we  go  now,  and  from  that 
“Mount  of  the  Beatitudes”  we  shall  look  toward  the 
northeast.  Find  the  spot  for  yourself  on  Map  6  and 
notice  what  the  red  lines  tell  about  the  direction  and 
range  of  our  next  outlook. 

Position  81.  Looking  northeast  from  Mount  of 
Beatitudes  to  Sea  of  Galilee 

Look  across  those  cultivated  fields,  and  through  that 
deep  gorge.  It  is  called  “The  Valley  of  the  Pigeons,” 
from  the  thousands  of  pigeons  that  make  their  nests 
in  its  walls.  Beyond  it,  and  far  below,  do  you  see  the 
curved  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee?  That  level  place 
beside  the  sea  is  the  Plain  of  Gennesaret.  It  is  on  its 
northwestern  shore,  a  little  south  of  Capernaum.  Later 
we  shall  pass  along  that  shore  to  visit  the  supposed 
sites  of  Bethsaida  and  Capernaum,  and  from  Bethsaida 
we  shall  look  back  to  this  mountain.  Every  place  on 


8  John  iv  :  46-54. 


Position*  80,  81.  Maps  6,  7. 


172 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


which  our  eyes  now  rest  has  its  memories,  sacred  and 
historical.  Here,  on  this  mountain,  where  the  Arab 
stands  in  front  of  us,  Jesus  may  have  sat  with  His 
disciples,  and  uttered  those  words  of  blessing,  with 
which  the  greatest  of  all  sermons  begins.1  Another 
and  more  momentous  event  may  have  taken  place  here 
also.  You  remember  that  it  was  on  “the  mountain  in 
Galilee”2  that  the  risen  Christ  appeared  to  the  great 
body  of  His  disciples — five  hundred  in  number,  wrote 
the  Apostle  Paul.*  If  this  is  the  mountain  of  the  Ser¬ 
mon,  then  it  is  also  the  mountain  of  that  official  ap¬ 
pearance,  when  the  Christ  gave  His  great  commission 
to  His  followers. 

Now  look  again  at  that  wild  gorge,  the  Valley  of 
the  Pigeons.  If  we  were  near  enough  to  examine  those 
precipitous  walls,  a  thousand  feet  high,  we  should  find 
them  honeycombed  with  caves.  In  the  days  of  Herod 
the  Great,  just  before  Christ  was  born,  they  were  a 
resort  of  robbers,  and  so  difficult  of  approach  that 
Herod’s  warriors  could  reach  them  only  by  lowering 
from  above  great  chests  filled  with  his  soldiers.  Even 
then  the  robbers  slew  each  other,  and  the  last  of  the 
band  leaped  down  the  precipice  to  death,  rather  than 
surrender !  Here,  too,  was  fought  the  last  battle  of  the 
Crusaders,  in  1182,  when  the  cross  went  down  finally 
before  the  crescent,  and  the  Christian  kingdom  of  Judea 
passed  away. 

Beyond  this  valley  with  its  grim  associations,  look  at 
that  calm  Plain  of  Gennesaret  by  the  sea.  Do  you 
remember  that  on  the  morning  after  that  night  when 
Jesus  walked  on  the  water  to  His  disciples,  He  landed 
on  that  plain  ?4  The  news  of  the  great  Healer’s  coming 

1  Matt,  v  :  1.  8  I.  Corinthians  xv  :  6. 

2  Matt,  xxviii :  16.  Revised  Version.  4  Matt,  xiv  :  34. 

Position  81.  Maps,  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


173 


went  throughout  the  region;  and  its  people  brought  to 
Him  their  sick  from  every  quarter,  to  be  healed  by  the 
touch  of  Jesus. 

Now  we  turn  off  to  our  right,  or  to  the  east,  that 
we  may  visit  the  town  of  Tiberias.  This  old  city  is 
situated  on  the  shore  of  Galilee,  considerably  farther 
south  than  we  can  see  here.  Well  do  I  remember  that 
ride  of  thirteen  miles  on  horseback  from  Cana  to 
Tiberias  in  the  spring  of  1897,  all  the  way  with  the 
rain  beating  upon  our  backs — we  were  glad  enough  that 
it  was  not  upon  our  faces ! 

Follow  the  route  we  are  now  to  take  on  Map  6.  We 
shall  pause  just  outside  of  Tiberias  and  look  down  upon 
it,  facing  toward  the  southeast. 

Position  82.  Tiberias,  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee 

There  is  Tiberias  on  the  shore  of  the  sea  of  Galilee! 
This  town  was  founded  in  the  first  years  of  our  Chris¬ 
tian  era.  At  that  time  the  surrounding  province  of 
Galilee  was  in  the  very  height  of  its  prosperity,  and 
Herod  Antipas,  the  ruler  of  Galilee,  decided  to  build 
a  magnificent  capital.  He  settled  upon  this  site,  and 
between  A.  D.  16-22,  while  Jesus  was  yet  working  in 
Nazareth,  built  a  city  here  and  called  it  Tiberias,  after 
the  Roman  Emperor.  The  heavy  masonry  this  side  of 
the  town  is  part  of  the  old  city  wall,  restored  at  various 
times,  and  finally  shattered  by  an  earthquake  in  1637. 
That  mountain  slope  beyond  has  looked  down  upon 
many  stormy  scenes;  for  while  Tiberias  seems  to  have 
escaped  the  disasters  which  the  Romans  visited  upon 
the  other  cities  in  Palestine — every  other  city  on  the 
lake,  for  instance,  being  entirely  wiped  out — and  be¬ 
came  the  headquarters  of  the  Sanhedrin,  after  the  fall 


Positions  81,  82.  Maps  6,  7. 


174  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

of  Jerusalem,  still  it  has  been  fought  over  many  times. 
It  was  captured  by  the  Persians  in  614;  by  the  Arabs 
in  637;  by  Tancred  the  Crusader;  and  in  1187  by 
Saladin.  To-day  it  has  a  population  of  nearly  four 
thousand,  mostly  Jews,  and  is  considered  one  of  their 
sacred  cities.  For  a  little  while  in  spring  this  bit  of  the 
lake  shore  is  beautiful  with  green  grass  and  blooming 
flowers,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  year  the  ground  is 
arid;  the  midsummer  heat  is  very  oppressive  and  the 
town  is  very  dirty  and  uncomfortable,  according  to 
western  standards  of  comfort. 

It  will  be  well  worth  our  while  to  study  carefully 
this  scene,  this  piece  of  Palestine,  as  well  as  every  part 
of  Palestine  we  visit,  to  observe  many  of  the  thousands 
of  minute  details,  until  we  can  feel  as  familiar  with 
these  places  as  with  the  part  of  the  country  about  our 
home.  Note  the  rolling  ridges  on  the  mountain-side 
yonder,  the  basalt  cliffs  nearer  the  city,  the  very  stone 
on  the  ground  near  us,  and  the  branches  of  these 
bushes  nearer  still.  Of  course  it  is  practically  impos¬ 
sible  to  exhaust  all  the  details  of  such  a  scene,  and  it 
may  not  at  first  seem  profitable  to  spend  time  in  this 
way.  But  later  it  will  be  found  that  we  have  gotten 
impressions  that  stay  with  us,  that  seem  to  have  been 
burned  into  the  memory,  and  which  we  shall  make  use 
of  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  times.  We  cannot  get 
away  from  them.  At  the  slightest  suggestion  of  Pal¬ 
estine,  or  any  of  the  history  connected  with  these 
places,  these  scenes  will  stand  before  us. 

The  building  with  several  large  openings,  seen 
through  the  break  in  the  wall,  looks  very  much  like  the 
Sea  of  Galilee  Hotel,  where  we  stayed,  unwillingly, 
through  three  days  of  rain  in  1897.  I  shall  never 
forget  after  our  horseback  ride  through  the  rain,  our 


Position  82.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  175 

first  meal  in  that  house — and  it  was  a  good  one,  for 
we  carried  onr  own  cook  with  ns — and  the  inspiring 
announcement  at  supper,  “Fish  from  the  Sea  of  Gal¬ 
ilee  \”  Do  you  discern  beyond  the  town  some  build¬ 
ings  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain  by  the  sea?  Those 
are  the  hot  baths  of  Tiberias,  which  have  been  famous 
for  their  medicinal  properties  for  two  thousand  years. 

So  far  as  we  know,  this  city  was  never  visited  by 
our  Lord — for  it  was  then  a  new  city,  almost  entirely 
Gentile  and  pagan.  Only  once  is  the  town  named  in 
the  New  Testament.1  Yet  it  brings  Christ  more  vividly 
to  mind  than  any  other  spot  on  this  lake,  for  Caper¬ 
naum  and  Bethsaida  have  passed  away,  while  Tiberias 
remains.  Yonder  is  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  where  Jesus 
taught,  and  sailed,  and  walked.  The  life  of  the  city 
in  its  streets  and  on  the  shore,  brings  to  our  eyes  the 
picture  of  similar  scenes  in  the  story  of  the  Gospels. 

Let  us  go  down  and  look  at  the  town  along  the  shore, 
after  finding  on  the  map  our  eighty-third  standpoint 
and  observing  how  we  are  to  face. 

Position  83.  Tiberias,  the  town  of  Jewish  fish¬ 
ermen,  Sea  of  Galilee 

This  is  indeed  the  shore  of  Galilee !  And  in  those 
days,  nearly  nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  towns  were 
crowding  down  to  the  water’s  edge,  just  as  we  see 
Tiberias  doing  here.  Then,  we  are  told,  there  were 
nine  towns  around  this  lake,  with  a  population  of  not 
less  than  fifteen  thousand  each,  and  some  were  even 
larger.  They  undoubtedly  formed  an  almost  unbroken 
line  of  buildings  around  the  shore.  This  was  certainly 
a  thriving  country.  Note  that  ancient  fortress,  with  its 

1  John  vi :  23. 


Positions  82,  83.  Maps  6,  7. 


176 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


arched  roadway  and  round  tower.  That  fortress  and 
the  one  beyond  were  built  originally  to  defend  the 
town  from  any  invasion  from  the  lake.  During  the 
Roman  occupation  of  this  country,  it  is  said,  there  was 
a  small  fleet  of  war  vessels  on  this  little  inland  sea. 

What  burning  suggestions  come  to  us  as  we  stand 
by  this  shore  and  read  the  Bible  records  of  events  that 
took  place  here  away  back  through  the  years.  Notice 
that  boat  below  us,  with  its  one  stretch  of  canvas  so 
simply  hung.  I  wonder  whether  Christ  was  asleep  in 
such  a  boat  when  that  storm  arose,  and  the  disciples 
became  “sore  afraid.”  And  to  think  that  the  waves 
here  have  never  been  entirely  at  rest  since  they  rippled 
against  these  shores  at  Jesus’  feet! 

Let  us  go  down  near  that  group  of  people  beyond  that 
wall. 

Position  84.  Life  on  the  shore  of  Galilee,  at 
Tiberias 

Is  that  Simon  Peter’s  boat  here  in  front  of  us  ?  And 
is  that  the  old  fisherman  himself  who  is  selling  fish  to 
that  young  woman?  How  easy  it  would  be  for  us  to 
forget  that  we  are  standing  among  men  and  women  of 
to-day,  and  to  think  that  we  were  among  the  crowds 
that  swarmed  about  this  sea  in  those  early  days!  It 
would  require  but  little  imagination  to  see  our  Saviour 
seated  on  the  stern  of  that  further  boat,  and  the  lis¬ 
tening  multitude  on  the  land,  if  we  were  at  Capernaum, 
six  miles  northward,  up  the  shore  of  this  same  sea ! 
A  larger  number  of  women  are  in  these  groups  than 
one  usually  sees  out  of  doors  in  an  Eastern  city.  The 
Jews  allow  their  women  much  more  liberty,  of  course, 
than  the  Mohammedans.  Most  of  these  women  are 


Positions  83,  84.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


177 


cleaning  fish — work  which  would  be  done  by  men 
among  ns.  That  old  fortress,  with  its  arched  roadway, 
stands  out  more  prominently  here.  Evidently  some¬ 
one  lives  over  the  tower.  In  just  such  a  boat  as  that 
further  one  we  set  out  for  a  sail  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
in  March,  1897 ;  and  in  fifteen  minutes  we  found  the 
water  so  rough  that  people  who  had  crossed  the  Atlan¬ 
tic  well  were  made  seasick  by  the  heaving  of  our  little 
vessel. 

The  water  is  very  quiet  at  this  time,  however,  and 
men  are  now  fishing.  We  will  go  and  watch  them 
at  work  with  their  nets.  Map  6  shows  our  eighty-fifth 
standpoint  out  in  the  lake,  and  shows  that  we  are  to 
look  eastward  across  the  water. 

Position  85.  Fishermen  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee, 
and  the  distant  hills  of  the  Gadarenes 

Does  not  this  call  to  your  mind  more  than  one  such 
scene  in  the  story  of  Jesus  and  His  twelve  disciples? 
Here  is  the  same  Sea  of  Galilee;  though  it  looks  quiet 
enough  now,  still  at  any  minute  a  gale  is  likely  to  come 
sweeping  down  from  the  north,  lashing  this  water  into 
waves.1  Yonder  are  the  hills  in  the  country  of  the 
Gadarenes,  where  Jesus  set  free  a  man  from  a  legion  of 
demons.2  Those  men  are  looking  shoreward — are  they 
listening  to  a  voice  which  says,  “Cast  the  net  on  the 
right  side  and  ye  shall  find”?*  I  wonder  if  these  men 
have  ever  toiled  all  night  and  taken  nothing.4  Imagine 
their  surprise  if  they  should  suddenly  bring  up  such  a 
multitude  of  fishes  that  their  nets  would  break  and  the 
farther  boat  would  have  to  come  and  help  them,  both 

1  Matt,  viii :  24-26.  s  John  xxi :  1-6. 

*  Mark  v :  1-20.  4  Luke  v  :  3-11. 


Positions  84,  85.  Maps  6,  7. 


178  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

boats  being  filled  until  they  began  to  sink.  You  re¬ 
member  that  from  the  shores  of  this  lake  Christ  chose 
nearly  all  His  twelve  apostles.  Simon  and  Andrew  his 
brother  were  casting  their  net  right  here  just  in  this 
way  when  the  Master  called,  and  they  forsook  their  net 
and  followed  Him.5  The  apostles  were  not  men  of 
the  better  class,  worldly  minded,  and  self  satisfied;  nor 
were  they  at  the  extreme  of  the  social  order,  the  rest¬ 
less,  revolutionary,  discontented  element.  He  called 
men  who  were  at  work  earning  their  living  by  honest 
labor,  fishers  and  farmers.  At  least  two  of  those  men 
possessed  great  qualities — one  the  impetuous  old  fisher¬ 
man  who  was  always  ready  for  action,  and  the  other 
a  young  dreamer,  who,  long  afterward,  gave  to  the 
world  the  Fourth  Gospel,  “the  sublimest  composition 
of  man,”  says  Coleridge.  I  would  like  to  know  more 
about  that  youth ;  he  could  have  been  no  common  man ! 
What  were  the  thoughts  that  swept  over  his  soul  as 
he  sat  in  his  boat  here  at  night  under  the  stars? 

Map  6  shows  that  we  are  now  to  pass  northward  sev¬ 
eral  miles  along  the  western  shore  of  Galilee,  to  one 
of  the  traditional  sites  of  Bethsaida.  From  that  place 
we  shall  look  toward  the  southwest.  Consult  Map  6 
for  yourself  and  observe  what  the  red  lines  tell  you 
about  the  outlook  you  are  to  have.  Notice  that  you 
are  to  face  in  a  direction  almost  opposite  that  of 
Position  81. 

Position  86.  Traditional  site  of  Bethsaida,  and 
Mount  of  Beatitudes 

Yonder  in  the  distance  are  the  mountains  of  Galilee. 
Do  you  see  how  the  nearer  mountain  is  rent  asunder 

«  Mark  i :  16-20. 


Positions  65,  86.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  179 

by  a  great  ravine?  That  is  the  Valley  of  the  Pigeons, 
which  we  saw  from  the  other  side  when  we  were  at 
Position  81.  Beyond  it,  notice  the  mountain  rising  to 
a  sort  of  table  land,  a  little  higher  at  each  end  of  its  sum¬ 
mit,  and  thus  forming  on  its  crest  almost  a  saddle  in 
appearance.  That  is  Kurun  Hattin,  “the  horns  of  Hat- 
tin,”  which  tradition  declares  to  be  the  very  moun¬ 
tain  where  the  “Sermon  on  the  Mount”  was  spoken,1 
and  where  after  the  Resurrection  our  Lord  appeared  to 
His  disciples  and  a  great  body  of  believers.2  Do  you 
see  that  level  land  across  the  water,  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains?  That  is  the  Plain  of  Gennesaret, 
where  the  Saviour  and  the  Twelve  landed  on  the  morn¬ 
ing  after  the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand,  and  the  mid¬ 
night  walk  upon  the  stormy  sea.3  This  enclosure 
immediately  before  us  is  an  old  reservoir,  now  used 
as  a  sheepfold. 

But  our  deepest  interest  centers  on  that  sloping 
meadow,  dotted  with  tufts  of  brush,  between  the  ruined 
reservoir  and  the  sea.  We  find  it  on  the  map,  on  the 
northwestern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  midway  be¬ 
tween  Khan  Minyeh  and  Tell  Hum,  the  two  places 
which  contest  the  honor  of  being  the  site  where  stood 
Capernaum  of  old.  The  old  authorities  located  here 
the  village  of  Bethsaida,  so  often  referred  to  in  the 
gospel  story.  Recent  scholarship  inclines  to  locate 
Bethsaida  at  a  point  on  the  northeastern,  rather  than 
the  northwestern  shore.  But  the  whole  question  is  un¬ 
certain;  there  may  have  been  two  or  three  Bethsaidas, 
for  the  word  means  “Fishtown,”  and  may  have  been 
applied  to  any  settlement  of  fishermen.  One  day,  just 
before  the  Passover,  at  the  end  of  our  Saviour’s  year 


1  Matt,  v  :  1,  2. 

2  Matt,  xxviil :  16  ;  I.  Cor.  xv :  6. 
»  Matt,  xlv :  34-36. 


Position  86.  Maps  6,  7. 


180  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

of  popularity,  He  looked  across  a  field — perhaps, 
though  not  certainly,  this  one  just  before  us — and  saw 
a  multitude  of  people  pressing  toward  Him.4  He  had 
sought  this  desert  place  for  retirement  and  rest,  and 
Peter’s  boat  that  had  brought  Him  over  the  lake  may 
have  been  lying  down  there  on  the  shore.  The  people 
had  learned  of  His  departure;  they  marked  on  the  sea 
the  direction  of  His  voyage;  they  walked  around  the 
shore,  and  they  were  there  to  meet  Him  almost  as  soon 
as  he  landed.6  All  day  they  listened  to  His  teachings, 
forgetting  the  flight  of  the  hours,  and  forgetting  their 
own  need  of  food.  In  all  that  crowd  of  five  thousand 
people,  there  seems  to  have  been  only  one,  and  he  a 
boy,  who  had  brought  a  lunch  with  him  !*  Do  you 
not  see  that  crowd  grouped  into  companies,  seated  upon 
the  grass?  Do  you  not  see  your  Saviour  and  mine 
standing  there  while  the  evening  sun  lights  up  His 
face,  as  He  speaks  the  words  of  blessing?  Do  you  not 
see  the  apostles  passing  among  the  groups,  breaking 
the  bread,  and  gathering  up  the  fragments  that  re¬ 
mained?  That  evening  was  the  culmination  of  His 
ministry  in  Galilee.  The  multitude  were  eager  to 
make  Him  king7 — and  no  wonder,  for  here  was  just 
the  king  that  they  desired,  One  who  could  give  them 
bread  from  heaven  to  eat!  Ho  need  to  till  the  fields, 
or  fish  in  the  sea,  under  such  a  king  as  this !  He  or¬ 
dered  His  disciples  away,  compelling  them  against  their 
will  to  row  out  alone  upon  the  lake.  He  quieted  the 
multitudes  and  sent  them  home;  and  then  He  sought 
the  silence  of  these  heights  to  calm  His  own  soul  by 
communion  with  the  Father.  He  knew  that  in  two 
days  more  that  crowd  would  forsake  Him  as  soon  as 

*  John  vi :  1-5.  8  John  vi :  8,  9. 

*  Mark  vi :  81-34.  7  John  vi :  10-15  ;  Mark  vi :  45,  46, 


Position  86.  Maps  6,  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


181 


they  saw  He  had  no  more  bread  to  give  them,  save  Him¬ 
self,  the  Bread  of  Life :  and  that  He  would  be  left  alone 
with  His  faithful  Eleven  at  the  end  of  His  labor  in 
Galilee,  as  He  had  been  at  its  beginning.8 

Let  us  move  now  a  mile  farther  up  the  lake,  as  our 
map  shows,  and  visit  Capernaum.  There  are  two  can¬ 
didates  for  the  honor  of  being  the  site  of  this  place, 
Khan  Minyeh,  and  Tell  Hum.  Nobody  can  tell  to  a 
certainty  which  of  these  is  the  correct  locality,  but  the 
majority  favor  the  latter,  and  therefore  we  look  at  Tell 
Hum.  (See  Map  6.) 

Position  87.  Traditional  Capernaum,  Christ’s 
home  by  the  Sea  of  Galilee 

We  look  down  upon  its  ruins  from  the  rising  ground 
in  the  rear  of  the  place,  and  in  a  southeasterly  direction. 
Can  this  be  Capernaum,  once  exalted  to  heaven?1 
How  it  has  been  brought  down  to  the  depths !  All  that 
is  left  of  it  is  a  dozen  or  more  miserable  huts,  outside 
the  range  of  our  vision.  There  used  to  be  some  broken 
fragments  of  a  church,  and  others  of  an  ancient  syna¬ 
gogue — perhaps  the  very  one  where  Christ  preached2 — 
but  the  builders  of  that  Roman  Catholic  hospice  yonder, 
with  the  three  domes,  used  them  all  in  its  walls !  There 
at  least  is  the  sea  of  Galilee,  looking  just  as  it  looked 
of  old,  except  that  we  see  it  deserted,  and  He  saw  it 
alive  with  ships  and  fishermen.  And  in  the  distance 
are  the  mountains  of  Decapolis,  on  the  eastern  shore 
of  the  sea.  Can  we  call  up  in  this  desolation  the  pros¬ 
perous  city  that  stood  here  nineteen  centuries  ago  when 
Jesus  came  hither  from  Nazareth  and  fixed  his  dwelling 
on  this  shore?8  Somewhere  on  this  waste  stood  Simon 

8  John  vi :  59-71.  *  Mark  i :  21-27  ;  John  vi :  59. 

1  Matt,  xi :  21-24.  8  Luke  iv  :  31. 


Positions  86,  87.  Maps  6,  7. 


182 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


Peter’s  house,  where  Jesus  was  a  guest,  who  gave  far 
more  than  He  received.4  There  was  a  Roman  castle 
here,  the  headquarters  of  that  centurion  whose  modesty 
and  faith  were  so  highly  praised  by  Jesus.5  Do  you 
see  the  Master  just  landing  from  His  voyage  across 
the  lake  to  the  land  of  the  Gadarenes  yonder?9  There 
on  the  shore  stands  Jairus,  the  ruler  of  the  synagogue, 
with  anxiety  stamped  on  his  face,  as  he  pleads  with 
the  Master  to  come  at  once  to  his  house  and  save  his 
dying  child.7  And  do  you  see  that  pale  faced,  wasted 
woman  in  the  throng,  who  is  watching  to  touch  Christ’s 
robe  as  He  walks  by?8  One  whole  year  our  Lord  made 
His  home  in  this  place — the  year  of  popularity,  the 
second  year  of  His  ministry,  abundant  in  labor,  rich 
in  its  healing  power,  and  precious  in  its  teachings. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  our  general  map  of  Palestine 
(Map  7),  and  follow  the  river  Jordan  upward  toward 
its  source.  Just  north  of  Lake  Merom,  three  streams 
unite  to  form  this  river.  The  longest  is  the  Hasbany, 
which  flows  down  the  valley  between  Lebanon  and  Her- 
mon;  the  one  on  the  east  starts  in  a  great  spring  at 
Banias  (Caesarea  Philippi) ;  between  these  is  the  great¬ 
est  source  of  all  which  begins  at  Dan,  now  called  Tell 
el  Kadi,  “The  hill  of  the  Judge.”  Let  us  visit  this 
spring  at  the  spot  marked  88. 

Position  88.  The  Jordan’s  main  source,  one  of 
the  world’s  largest  springs,  at  Dan 

Look  at  this  torrent  which  comes  foaming  down! 
Just  above  that  row  of  tall  trees,  it  flows  out  of  the 
earth  and  begins  its  course,  to  end  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles  to  the  south,  in  the  waters  of  the  Dead 

4  Luke  iv  :  38-40.  6  Mark  v  :  1,  21. 

6  Luke  vii :  1-10.  7  Mark  v.  22-24. 

-  8  Mark  v  :  25-34. 

Positions  87,  88.  Maps  6,  7.  , 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


183 


Sea.  What  a  contrast  between  the  pure,  sweet  water 
that  dances  below  ns  and  the  muddy,  tnrbid  river  which 
we  saw  near  J ericho !  Often  this  famous  river  has  been 
likened  to  a  sinful  life — at  its  source  pure  as  the  rain 
from  heaven,  but  as  it  flows  on  it  becomes  polluted  by 
the  contaminating  influence  of  the  world,  until,  when 
it  has  run  its  course,  its  waters  are  dark  with  the  mire 
of  sin  which  has  come  into  it,  and  finally  it  empties 
into  the  sea  of  death.  On  this  hill,  now  covered  with 
a  forest,  once  stood  a  city.  Do  you  remember  that 
bold  pursuit  by  Abraham  of  the  four  kings  from  the 
East,  after  their  raid  on  the  Jordan  valley;  that  attack 
in  the  night  on  their  unguarded  camp;  that  rescue  of 
Lot,  and  the  recapture  of  the  spoil  ?  That  night  attack 
was  here  at  Dan.1  Do  you  recall  that  remarkable  story 
in  the  book  of  J udges  of  the  exodus  of  the  Danites  from 
their  tribe-land  north  of  Judah  and  west  of  Benjamin; 
how  they  marched  up  the  mountain  region,  came  to 
this  place,  found  a  Phoenician  city  here,  called  Laish, 
smote  it,  slew  its  inhabitants,  and  established  a  Danite 
colony,  to  which  they  gave  their  ancestor’s  name  ?a 
You  remember  that  when  anyone  wished  to  refer  to  the 
land  throughout  its  entire  extent,  he  used  the  expres¬ 
sion,  “from  Dan  to  Beersheba.”*  Beersheba  was  the 
southernmost  town  of  the  Twelve  Tribes,  and  here  was 
Dan,  its  northernmost.  Living  remote  from  the  Taber¬ 
nacle  at  Shiloh,  the  Danites  here  in  the  north  estab¬ 
lished  their  own  sanctuary,  and  their  own  priesthood;4 
but  it  was  a  temple  of  idols,  though,  sad  to  relate,  its 
first  priest  was  a  grandson  of  Moses  the  lawgiver!* 

1  Genesis  xiv  :  1-16. 

a  Judges  xvii :  1-13  ;  xviii :  1-29. 

8  Judges  xx  :  1 ;  I.  Sam.  iii :  20. 

8  Judges  xviii :  30,  31. 

•  Judges  xviii :  30.  The  Jewish  writers  state  that  the  name  “  Ma- 
nasseh  ”  here  should  be  “  Moses."  Compare  Exodus  xviii :  3. 


Position  88.  Map  7. 


184  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Through  all  the  centuries  of  Israelite  history,  under 
judges  and  kings  alike,  that  idol-temple  stood  here  at 
Dan,  until  the  day  when  the  Ten  Tribes  were  swept 
away  forever.* 

From  the  source  of  the  Jordan  at  Dan  we  turn  to 
its  upper  tributary,  the  Hasbany,  which  has  its  rise 
far  up  among  the  heights  of  Hermon.  Not  far  from 
Banias,  which  is  the  ancient  Caesarea  Philippi,  we  shall 
find  a  bridge,  part  of  which,  at  least,  dates  back  to 
New  Testament  times.  You  will  find  our  eighty-ninth 
position  marked  on  Map  7,  at  the  side  of  the  river. 

Position  89.  Old  Roman  bridge  over  the  Has¬ 
bany,  on  the  ancient  highway  from  Palestine 
to  Damascus 

Do  you  see  the  brook  which  helps  to  make  the  Jor¬ 
dan,  winding  among  the  hills?  If  you  should  see  it 
in  the  spring,  swollen  by  the  rain  and  the  melting  of 
the  snow  on  Mount  Hermon,  you  would  find  it  a  river. 
The  slope  upon  which  we  are  standing  belongs  to  the 
lower  range  of  Mount  Hermon,  which  rises  on  high  to 
the  east.  Do  you  notice  how  rough  and  stony  the  road 
is  that  leads  to  the  bridge?  That  is  just  such  a  bridle¬ 
path,  misnamed  a  road,  as  you  will  find  everywhere 
among  the  mountains  of  Palestine.  Now  look  at  the 
bridge — narrow,  you  perceive,  for  it  was  built  for 
horsemen,  not  for  carriages.  There  is  no  wall  to  pro¬ 
tect  the  traveler  on  either  side — how  easy  it  would  be 
for  a  horse  to  stumble  and  drop  his  rider  into  this 
stream !  There  is  a  bridge  like  this  nearer  the  en¬ 
trance  to  Cagsarea  Philippi,  over  another  branch  of  the 
Jordan,  which  made  me  shiver  as  I  rode  across  it,  for 

6  I.  Kings  xii :  26-30. 


Positions  88,  89.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


185 


under  it  rolls  a  surging  torrent.  Two  days  after  I 
passed  over  it,  a  horse  and  his  rider  fell  from  it  into 
the  water,  and  their  bodies  were  found  two  miles  be¬ 
low.  If  you  look  closely  at  the  arches  of  this  bridge 
you  may  perceive  that  at  either  end  the  stones  are 
round,  while  those  in  the  middle  are  squared.  Those 
round  stones  are  Roman  masonry.  They  show  that 
the  Romans  built  a  bridge  here,  which  may  have  been 
washed  away,  and  was  succeeded  by  this  structure. 

This  bridge  has  to  us,  as  students  of  the  Bible,  an 
interest,  though  it  is  not  named  in  the  Scripture.  It 
stands  on  the  ancient  highway  between  Palestine  and 
Damascus.  Perhaps  those  early  saints  who  were 
driven  out  of  Jerusalem  by  that  fierce  young  persecu¬ 
tor,  Saul  of  Tarsus,  made  their  way  to  Damascus,  and 
planted  the  gospel  in  that  city,  walked  over  this  bridge. 

It  is  more  than  likelv  that  Saul  himself  crossed  this 

«/ 

bridge  on  that  memorable  journey  from  Jerusalem  to 
Damascus — a  journey  which  transformed  a  persecutor 
into  an  apostle,  and  opened  a  new  chapter  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  world.  If  that  ardent  young  Israelite  had 
stumbled,  and  fallen  from  this  unguarded  road  into  the 
swelling  stream,  how  differently  earth’s  history  might 
have  been  written!  It  is  very  possible  that  Christ 
Himself  walked  over  the  Roman  bridge  at  this  point 
when  on  His  way  to  Caesarea  Philippi.1 

We  also  will  cross  the  old  bridge  and  go  eastward 
until  we  come  to  Banias,  which  is  the  modern  repre¬ 
sentative  of  Caesarea  Philippi.  First  we  shall  stand 
before  the  ancient  gate  of  the  city  and  look  up  to  the 
mountain  above  it.  (See  90  on  Map  7.) 

1  Mark  viii :  27. 


Position  89.  Map  7. 


186  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

Position  90.  Old  gate  to  Caesarea  Philippi,  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon 

If  we  could  look  down  to  the  bottom  of  this  gorge, 
we  should  see  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Jordan.  It 
bounds  forth  from  one  of  the  largest  springs  in  the 
world,  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  at  once  be¬ 
comes  a  powerful  stream,  able  to  sweep  away  a  horse 
and  his  rider,  if  they  should  fall  over  this  low  wall. 
What  are  those  round  knobs  projecting  from  the  wall? 
They  are  columns  from  an  ancient  building  thrust  in 
to  complete  this  structure,  which  belongs  to  the  epoch 
of  the  crusades.  jSTo  one  can  tell  what  tears  and 
sweat,  and  blood,  were  poured  out  on  these  walls,  and 
others  like  them,  built  by  Turkish  captives  under  the 
lash  of  their  Christian  conquerors.  This  old  city  was 
rebuilt  by  Herod  Philip,  the  ruler  of  this  region  in  the 
time  of  Jesus.1  It  was  called  “Caesarea  Philippi,”  or 
“Philip’s  Caesarea,”  to  distinguish  it  from  another 
Caesarea,  just  south  of  Mount  Carmel,  on  the  coast, 
which  was  the  Roman  capital  of  Judea.  Hither  came 
our  Lord  for  retirement,  during  His  year  of  opposition ; 
and  here,  in  sight  of  these  mountains,  Simon  Peter 
uttered  his  great  declaration,  the  platform  of  all  Chris¬ 
tian  doctrine  concerning  Jesus.2 

This  old  gateway  we  find  before  us  is  on  the  southern 
side  of  the  city,  so  we  are  looking  nearly  north. 
Those  rugged  mountain  heights  that  overlook  the 
city  are  the  lower  spurs  of  the  greatest  mountain  in 
Palestine  proper,  Mount  Hermon,  nine  thousand  feet 
high,  and  the  only  one  on  whose  peaks  the  snow  remains 
throughout  the  year,  although  some  of  the  peaks  of 
Mount  Lebanon  to  the  north  rise  one  thousand  five 

1  Luke  lii :  1.  1  Matt,  xvi :  13-16. 


Position  90.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


187 


hundred  feet  higher.  You  will  at  once  remember  that 
event  which  makes  this  one  of  the  sacred  mountains.* 
On  a  height  near  the  city,  perhaps  on  one  of  those 
two  domes  now  in  sight,  Jesus  stood  with  His  three 
chosen  disciples,  and  revealed  to  their  eyes  His  heav¬ 
enly  glory,  while  the  two  greatest  prophets  of  the  older 
days  appeared  at  His  side,  talking  with  Him  of  His 
approaching  triumph  on  the  cross.  As  we  look  on  this 
mountain  we  seem  to  hear  the  voice  from  the  sky, 
“This  is  my  beloved  Son.” 

“Lord!  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
Where  rest  the  souls  that  dwell  with  Thee: 

Where  stand  revealed  to  mortal  gaze 
The  great  old  saints  of  other  days — 

Who  once  received  on  Horeb’s  height 
The  eternal  laws  of  truth  and  right; 

Or,  caught  the  still,  small  whisper,  higher 
Than  storm,  than  earthquake,  or  than  fire.4 

“Lord!  it  is  good  for  us  to  be 
Entranced,  enwrapped,  alone  with  Thee; 

Watching  the  glistening  raiment  glow. 

Whiter  than  Hermon’s  whitest  snow. 

The  human  lineaments  which  shine 
Irradiant  with  a  light  divine, 

Till  we,  too,  change  from  grace  to  grace, 

Gazing  on  that  transfigured  Face.” 

— A.  P.  Stanley. 

We  enter  that  gate,  and  find  within  the  walls  of  the 
ancient  Cassarea  Philippi  the  modern  village  of  Banias, 
a  group  of  thirty  or  forty  hovels  plastered  over  with 
mud. 

Position  91.  Summer  homes  at  Caesarea  Philippi 

Look  closely,  and  you  will  perceive  that  this  floor  is 
the  flat  roof  of  a  building,  covered  with  clay.  You 
can  see  lower  down  the  little  court  yard  beside  another 

*  Luke  lx :  28-35. 

4  I.  Kings  xix :  8-13.  - 

Position*  90,  91.  Map  7. 


188 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


house,  and  beyond,  the  roofs  of  still  others.  What  are 
these  curious  structures  standing  on  the  roofs  all 
around?  They  are  huts  or  booths  constructed  of 
bushes,  for  air  and  shade  during  the  summer  months. 
You  see  that  they  are  elevated  on  poles,  so  that  the 
breezes  may  sweep  under  them  as  well  as  around  them. 
That  one  nearest  to  us  has  a  curtain  over  its  entrance, 
where  a  woman  sits  in  the  door,  at  the  top  of  the  ladder. 
Summer  houses  like  this  are  to  be  seen  all  through 
Palestine.  It  is  quite  likely  that  when  Peter  said,  not 
far  from  this  very  place,  “Let  us  make  here  three  taber¬ 
nacles,”1  he  had  in  mind  some  structures  like  these  for 
worship,  perhaps  as  temporary  places  of  abode.  This 
is  the  most  northern  point  recorded  which  Christ 
visited,  and  here  He  gave  the  promise  to  Peter,  “On  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  church.”2 

Our  faces  now  turn  to  the  west.  Follow  on  the 
Palestine  map  our  route  from  Caesarea  Philippi,  thirty 
miles  over  the  Lebanon  Mountains  to  Tyre,  on  the  sea 
coast.  Find  our  ninety-second  standpoint  by  the 
shore. 

Position  92.  Ruins  of  ancient  Tyre — wonderful 
fulfilment  of  Prophecy — Syria 

We  are  looking  across  the  bay.  In  the  distance  are 
the  foothills  of  the  Lebanon  mountain  range,  upon 
which  the  cedars  for  Solomon’s  Temple  were  hewed 
by  King  Hiram’s  men.1  You  see  two  sections  of  the 
ancient  wall,  and  the  breakers  rolling  over  it.  Look  at 
those  round  columns  lying  prostrate  in  the  water,  black 
with  moss,  which  were  the  supports  of  graceful  arches 

1  Matt,  xvii :  4.  a  Matt,  xvi :  13-20. 

-  1 1.  Kings  v  :  1-10. 

Position  91,  92.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  189 

and  magnificent  palaces  centuries  before  Christ.  See 
that  half-clad  fisherman  drawing  in  his  net.  Now  read 
what  the  prophet  Ezekiel  said  about  Tyre,  six  hundred 
years  before  Christ,  “They  shall  destroy  the  walls  of 
Tyre,  and  break  down  her  towers;  I  will  also  scrape 
her  dust  from  her,  and  make  her  like  the  top  of  a  rock. 
It  shall  be  a  place  for  the  spreading  of  nets  in  the  midst 
of  the  sea.”3  When  those  words  were  spoken,  Tyre  was 
the  largest  and  richest  city  upon  the  Mediterranean  Sea. 
What  Venice  was  in  the  middle  ages,  Tyre  was  in  the 
early  history  of  the  eastern  world.  It  covered  its  island 
with  palaces,  it  sent  its  ships  to  every  port;  its  mer¬ 
chants  became  princes.  It  possessed  the  supremacy  of 
trade,  almost  the  monopoly  of  trade,  in  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean;  and  when  Jerusalem  passed  under  the  sway 
of  Babylon,  600  B.  C.,  Tyre  was  at  its  height  of  glory 
and  riches.  Its  doom  was  spoken  of  by  the  prophet, 
and  it  soon  began  to  decline;  was  besieged,  and  con¬ 
quered  and  plundered,  over  and  over  again.  It  lost  its 
trade,  and  with  its  trade  its  wealth  passed  away.  The 
mistress  of  the  Mediterranean  became  a  seaport  of  no 
importance  either  in  the  commerce  or  the  politics  of 
the  East. 

Do  you  remember  the  visit  that  Paul  made  at  this 
city,  while  on  his  last  visit  to  Jerusalem?3  He  found  dis¬ 
ciples  here,  and  remained  a  week  among  them.  Some¬ 
where  along  this  shore  there  is  an  unmarked  spot,  where 
those  Tyrian  disciples,  with  their  wives  and  little  ones, 
knelt  on  the  sand  with  the  Apostle  and  his  fellow  trav¬ 
elers,  and  committed  them  to  the  grace  of  God.  But 
Tyre  has  been  for  centuries  a  decayed,  insignificant, 
poverty-stricken  town,  where  a  handful  of  fishermen 
spread  their  nets  on  the  ruins  of  its  ancient  splendor. 


*  Ezekiel  xxvi :  1-5. 

*  Acts  xxi :  3-7. 


Position  92.  Map  7. 


190  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

For  the  most  interesting  description  of  Tyre’s  former 
glory,  read  the  27th  chapter  of  Ezekiel.4  What  a 
complete  fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  is  seen  here  to-day ! 

Following  the  coast  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea  north¬ 
ward,  we  find  Sidon,  the  mother  city  of  Tyre.  Sidon  is 
spoken  of  as  early  as  the  tenth  chapter  of  Genesis,  and 
is  said  by  Josephus  to  have  been  founded  by  Sidon, 
the  great  grandson  of  Noah.  The  Bible  account  tends 
to  confirm  this  statement.5  We  shall  pause  there  to 
view  its  round  castle.  Neither  Tyre  nor  Sidon  was 
ever  within  the  limits  of  Palestine.  The  boundary  line 
between  them  was  the  Lebanon  chain  of  mountains. 
(Consult  Map  7  again  and  see  how  it  indicates 
Position  93.) 

Position  93.  Ancient  citadel  in  the  sea  at  Sidon 

This  old  castle  stands  on  an  island,  north  of  the 
present  city  of  Saida  (Sidon).  You  can  trace  seven  of 
the  eight  arches  in  this  bridge  connecting  it  with  the 
mainland.  Look  closely  at  the  walls  of  the  castle,  and 
you  will  see  that  the  foundations  are  of  different  con¬ 
struction  from  the  upper  portions.  One  was  the  work 
of  the  Romans,  the  other  of  the  Crusaders.  Those 
medieval  knights  were  mighty  builders.  Though  they 
held  these  lands  for  less  than  a  century,  their  massive 
castles,  and  churches,  and  walls  abide  to  this  day.  But 
we  must  not  forget  that  their  work  was  wrought  every¬ 
where  by  captives,  compelled  to  labor.  If  these  stones 
could  speak  they  could  tell  not  only  of  sweat  and  sor¬ 
row,  but  of  bloodshed  and  cruel  wrong,  suffered  by 
those  who  reared  them. 

4  Ezekiel  xxvii :  32.  5  Gen.  x  :  16-19. 


Positions  02,  93.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


191 


Sidon,  like  Tyre,  has  its  memories  of  the  Apostle 
Paul.  Here  he  paused,  a  prisoner,  on  his  voyage  from 
Caesarea  to  Rome.1  Yonder  building  was  the  Roman 
citadel  in  PanPs  day.  It  would  not  have  been  strange 
for  the  centurion  Julius  to  have  anchored  his  ship  in 
that  open  water,  where  a  boat  is  riding  at  anchor  now. 
Paul  may  have  stepped  ashore  at  the  castle  gate,  and 
walked  over  this  bridge,  chained  to  a  Roman  soldier. 
Can  you  not  see  him,  pale  from  two  years  in  his  Caes¬ 
area  prison,  with  gray  head  and  bent  form  (for  Paul 
was  fast  growing  old  by  this  time),  treading  these 
stones,  with  the  soldier  by  his  side,  on  his  way  to  meet 
the  brethren  in  Sidon? 

Northeast  of  Sidon  about  thirty-five  miles  we  shall 
find  Zahleh  on  the  gorge  of  the  Berduni  brook  among 
the  Lebanon  mountains.  Map  7  shows  where  we  are 
to  stand  and  the  direction  in  which  we  are  to  face. 

Position  94.  In  ‘‘Mount  Lebanon,”  at  Zahleh 

Here  we  see  an  isolated  section  of  this,  the  largest 
of  the  “villages  of  Lebanon,”  nestled  among  the  moun¬ 
tains.  It  is  thirty-one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
but  Lebanon  rises  five  thousand  feet  higher  above  the 
town.  Down  that  gorge,  far  out  of  sight  under  those 
poplars,  the  brook  Berduni  tumbles  over  its  rocky  bed. 
Do  you  see  the  terraced  gardens  below  the  town? 
Zahleh  itself  lies  in  successive  levels,  each  row  of  its 
stone  houses  overlooking  the  row  in  front  of  it.  That 
large  building  with  many  arches  is  the  English  Mission. 
Do  you  notice,  even  at  this  distance,  the  look  of  pros¬ 
perity  in  this  place?  It  is  a  Christian  town,  with  an 

1  Acts  xxvii :  1-4. 


Positions  93,  94.  Map  7. 


192  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

industrious,  enterprising  population.  After  the  ter¬ 
rible  massacres  of  1860,  the  Powers  of  Europe  forced 
the  Sultan  to  accept  a  Christian  governor  for  the  vil¬ 
lages  of  Mount  Lebanon.  This  little  mountain  section 
is  the  only  part  of  the  great  Ottoman  empire  under 
Christian  rule,  and  is  an  indication  of  what  all  Syria 
and  Palestine  might  become  under  a  wise  administra¬ 
tion.  This  balcony  to  our  right  looks  rather  frail, 
built  over  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  but  it  gives  its 
owner  a  fine  outlook  over  the  valley.  How  bare  those 
rugged  mountain  sides  are,  without  a  tree  upon  them! 
There  are  no  cedars  among  the  heights  of  Lebanon; 
they  grow  only  on  the  foothills  at  its  base. 

We  descend  from  the  heights  of  Mount  Lebanon,  and 
follow  upward,  as  our  map  shows,  the  valley  of  the 
little  Litany  river  (the  ancient  Leontes),  between 
Lebanon  and  Hermon.  Thirty-three  miles  to  the 
northeast  of  Zahleh,  we  find  Baalbek.  Map  7  marks 
our  next  station,  95,  and  shows  that  we  are  to  look 
eastward. 

Position  95.  The  mightiest  building  stone  ever 
cut,  ruins  of  Baalbek 

Look  beyond  that  ravine  and  its  foliage,  to  the  ele¬ 
vated  platform  whereon  stand  a  row  of  six  columns. 
That  platform  is  the  Acropolis  of  Baalbek,  and  the 
ruins  upon  it  are  all  that  is  left  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun,  the  largest  temple  of  the  ancient  world.  So  far 
as  is  known,  there  are  no  references  to  this  locality  in 
the  Bible.  That  it  was  a  center  of  worship  in  the  Old 
Testament  times,  cannot  be  doubted;  but  it  was  outside 
the  world  of  the  Biblical  writers;  and  no  records  of 
this  temple  lead  us  back  of  the  third  century  of  our  era. 


Positions  94,  95.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


193 


This  temple  was  not  built  until  two  hundred  years  after 
the  temple  of  Jerusalem  had  been  destroyed.  In  the 
prehistoric  foundations  of  that  building  in  the  distance 
are  the  three  largest  stones  wrought  by  the  hands  of 
man  in  any  building  on  the  earth.  They  are  respect¬ 
ively  sixty-two,  sixty-three  and  sixty-four  feet  long, 
and  each  of  them  measures  between  thirteen  and 
fourteen  feet  in  height  and  thickness,  and  they  are 
laid  in  a  wall  nineteen  feet  above  the  ground.  Think 
of  these  rocks,  each  weighing  about  three  million 
pounds !  How  were  they  brought  to  that  wall  ? 
How  were  they  lifted  into  place?  How  were  they 
joined  together  so  exactly  that  not  even  a  penknife 
can  be  inserted  between  them?  No  man  can  answer 
these  questions ;  but  we  do  know  from  what  quarry  they 
were  hewn  out,  for  here  in  its  bed,  half-extracted,  lies 
another  giant  stone  which  matches  them,  and  was  evi¬ 
dently  intended  for  a  place  beside  them.  This  block 
of  which  the  lower  end  still  remains  fastened  to  the 
rock,  is  seventy-one  feet  long,  fourteen  feet  wide,  and 
thirteen  feet  high,  longer  than  either  of  its  fellow- 
stones  already  in  the  wall  of  the  Acropolis.  That  we 
may  fully  realize  its  immensity,  notice  what  a  pigmy 
that  full-grown  Arab  seems  lying  upon  it,  and  how 
small  seems  that  standing  figure  against  the  rock.  Do 
you  see  those  men  at  work  yonder?  This  ancient 
quarry  at  Baalbek  is  still  worked,  and  from  it  has  come 
the  stone  for  the  modern  town,  of  which  we  see  a  few 
houses  on  the  right  overlooking  the  ravine. 

Let  us  walk  around  the  ravine  and  visit  those 
massive  ruins.  We  will  examine  that  row  of  six  col¬ 
umns  which  formed  a  part  of  the  great  Temple  of  the 
Sun.  We  shall  find  those  six  columns  far  more  gigan- 


Position  95.  Map  7. 


194  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

tic  than  we  can  well  imagine,  looking  at  them  from  this 
point.  That  great  temple  of  which  they  formed  a  part 
has  an  added  interest  because  it  was  reconstructed  from 
the  ruins  of  the  ancient  Phoenician  Temple  of  Baal, 
from  which  the  names  of  both  the  temple  and  the  town 
are  derived.  Here  held  sway  the  same  Baal  worship 
that  we  see  often  intruding  itself  among  the  Chosen 
People.  Several  Israelites  married  worshippers  of 
Baal,  thus  Baalism  was  usually  introduced.  The  high¬ 
est  as  well  as  the  lowest,  from  Solomon  down,  were  at 
times  affected  by  it. 

Position  96.  Colossal  remnant  of  the  Sun  Tem¬ 
ple,  Baalbek 

These  columns  stood  on  the  south  side  of  the  temple, 
and  formed  a  part  of  what  was  known  as  the  peristyle, 
a  rectangular  open  court  composed  of  columns  with  a 
cornice  or  entablature  connecting  them  above.  This 
peristyle  was  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet  long,  and  one 
hundred  and  sixty  wide,  consisting  of  fifty-four  col¬ 
umns,  each  seventy-five  feet  high,  including  base  and 
capital,  supporting  an  entablature  of  which  the  top  was 
ninety  feet  above  the  ground.  All  that  remains  of  it 
now  are  these  six  columns  and  the  entablature  above 
connecting  them.  Each  stands  upon  a  single  block  of 
stone;  you  can  compare  the  pedestal  with  the  height  of 
the  Arab  who  stands  beside  it.  The  centuries  and  the 
earthquakes  have  dealt  hardly  with  these  pillars.  Do 
you  notice  how  some  of  them  have  been  twisted  out  of 
position  by  the  hands  of  an  earthquake  ?  But  the 
Turks  and  the  Arabs  have  done  worse;  for  they  have 
dug  holes  in  them  to  extract  the  iron  clamps,  and  they 
have  destroyed  whole  walls  to  find  the  materials  for 
their  own  miserable  houses  and  shrines.  Each  column. 


Positions  95,  99.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


195 


you  see,  is  made  in  three  sections,  and  has  a  capital 
upon  its  summit.  How  nicely  those  sections  are  joined 
together !  You  may  search  the  world  through  before 
you  will  find  a  row  of  columns  erected  during  the  last 
five  hundred  years  whose  blocks  fit  so  closely !  And 
these  are  only  six  out  of  the  nineteen  columns  on  that 
side !  and  there  were  fifty-four  of  them  in  all.  Try  to 
imagine  that  court  open  to  the  sky  with  its  four  sides 
surrounded  by  fifty-four  columns  such  as  these !  And 
this  was  only  one  end  of  the  temple ;  for  it  opened  on  the 
east  upon  another  and  greater  court  five  hundred  feet 
wide  from  north  to  south,  and  three  hundred  and  fifty 
from  east  to  west.  Still  further  east  was  an  entrance 
of  hexagonal  form :  so  that  the  entire  length  of  this 
mighty  building  was  more  than  six  hundred  feet.  We 
are  not  to  imagine  it  roofed,  but  open  to  the  sky,  except 
perhaps  a  small  shrine  in  the  center  of  the  great  middle 
court. 

What  a  glorious  temple  all  this  must  have  been  seven¬ 
teen  centuries  ago,  when  Rome  ruled  the  world,  and  its 
emperor  Antoninus  Pius  gilded  these  capitals !  Who 
would  have  dreamed  on  that  day  that  in  less  than 
three  hundred  years  the  insignificant  sect  of  the  Chris¬ 
tians  would  destroy  or  transform  every  temple  into  a 
church  of  Christ!  This  gigantic  building  was  the  final 
effort  of  pagan  Rome,  and  before  it  was  fairly  finished 
its  foundations  were  undermined  by  the  gospel. 

Look  between  these  columns  and  see  another  ruined 
temple  beyond  it,  standing  on  a  lower  foundation  level. 
That  was  the  Temple  of  Jupiter  or  Zeus — one  the 
Latin,  the  other  the  Greek  name  for  the  king  of  gods. 
It  was  a  little  longer  than  the  peristyle  of  the  Temple 
of  the  Sun,  but  narrower,  being  two  hundred  and  twen¬ 
ty-five  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in  dimensions, 


Position  9C.  Map  7. 


196  TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 

and  its  forty-two  exterior  columns  were  sixty-five  feet 
high,  besides  the  entablature  or  cornice  above  them. 

Do  you  notice  on  the  roof  of  the  lower  temple  some 
stones  built  together  on  the  left  corner  ?  That  does  not 
properly  belong  to  the  building,  but  was  piled  upon  it 
by  the  Moslems.  Beyond  these  temples,  on  the  distant 
hillside,  you  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  modern  village  of 
Baalbek.  What  a  contrast  there  is  here  between  the 
glories  of  the  past  and  the  humiliation  of  the  present ! 

From  Baalbek,  you  will  notice  on  the  general  map 
that  we  turn  southward  and  follow  the  western  slope 
of  the  Hermon  range.  We  find  a  deep  gorge  penetrat¬ 
ing  the  mountain,  through  which  the  river  Barada 
flows  (the  ancient  Abana),1  and  with  it  we  descend  to 
the  edge  of  the  great  plain  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Her¬ 
mon,  on  its  southeastern  side.  At  Position  9^  we  shall 
look  at  Damascus  from  the  northwest. 

Position  97.  Damascus  and  its  gardens 

This  city  has  been  called  by  the  Arabs  “the  Desert’s 
reflection  of  Paradise.”  We  are  standing  in  a  Moham¬ 
medan  graveyard  on  a  lower  slope  of  the  Anti-Lebanon 
range.  Children  are  usually  playing  here — it  is  one  of 
their  favorite  resorts.  See  those  plastered  tombs,  each 
with  a  receptacle  for  flowers !  They  are  made  so  high 
that  the  corpse  can  sit  upright  in  its  coffin,  when  sum¬ 
moned  by  the  angels  to  surrender  its  soul,  on  the  second 
day  after  death  and  burial.  The  holes  at  the  end,  tem¬ 
porarily  closed  by  small  covers,  are  openings  left  so  that 
the  angels  may  call  down  to  the  soul  and  be  promptly 
heard.  This  village  just  before  us  is  Es  Saliheyeh,  a 
northern  suburb  of  the  great  city  in  the  distance.  Do 

1 II.  Kings  V :  12. 


Positions  06,  07.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


197 


you  notice  its  walls  of  dried  clay?  You  find  miles  of 
such  walls  as  that  on  either  side  of  the  highways  lead¬ 
ing  from  Damascus.  As  from  this  height  you  see  the 
city  encircled  by  green  foliage  and  fields,  with  the 
white  desert  on  one  side  and  the  grey  mountain  on  the 
other,  you  appreciate  its  comparison — “a  pearl  set  in 
emeralds.”  Mohammed  stood  on  this  spot  where  we  are 
standing,  gazed  at  the  city  which  to  him,  coming  from 
the  deserts  of  Arabia,  appeared  the  loveliest  on  earth, 
and  said  “Man  can  have  but  one  Paradise,  and  mine 
is  not  here!”  and  turned  away,  refusing  to  enter  it. 
That  which  made  this  a  city  at  least  four  thousand  years 
ago,  has  kept  it  through  all  the  ages,  and  will  keep  it  to 
the  end  of  time,  is  the  abundance  of  water  which  pours 
down  upon  the  plain  through  the  rift  of  Mount  Lebanon 
by  which  we  have  come  from  Baalbek.  Scarcely  a  city 
on  the  earth  has  such  a  wealth  of  fresh,  pure  water.  It 
turns  the  desert  into  a  garden  for  miles  around.  One 
river  runs  through  the  city  in  a  mighty  tide;  the  other 
flows  around  it;  and  both  are  borne  everywhere,  into 
streets  and  squares,  and  mosques,  and  gardens,  where 
they  rise  up  in  fountains.  Damascus  is  the  only  city 
in  the  Oriental  world  where  you  will  even  find  water 
brought  directly  into  many  of  the  houses. 

Through  all  history  this  city  has  stood  prominent  in 
the  Eastern  world.  When  Abraham  crossed  the  Eu¬ 
phrates  river  coming  from  Mesopotamia  to  Palestine,1 
on  that  migration  which  has  influenced  the  world  more 
than  any  other  movement  of  a  family  since  time  began, 
he  must  have  passed  through  this  city,  for  the  caravan 
route  from  the  Euphrates  to  the  Nile  has  always  passed 
this  way.  Damascus  stood  forth  as  a  rival  to  Jerusa¬ 
lem  and  Samaria  through  five  centuries,  and  was  con- 


1  Genesis  xii :  1-5 ;  Genesis  xv  :  2. 


Position  97.  Map  7. 


198 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


quered  and  conqueror  by  turns.2  Over  this  road  at  our 
feet,  perhaps,  rode  Naaman  with  his  horses  and  his 
chariots,  but  wearing  the  skin  of  a  leper  under  his 
lordly  robes,  on  his  way  to  Israel  to  seek  a  cure.3 

Over  this  road  I  see  a  blind  man  walking  with  down¬ 
cast  countenance,  led  by  his  companions,  groping  his 
way  toward  the  gate  of  Damascus.4  Can  that  be  the 
haughty  young  Pharisee  whom  we  met  a  while  ago  rid¬ 
ing  out  of  the  Damascus  gate  at  Jerusalem,  on  his  way 
to  this  very  city  to  bind  and  to  scourge  the  disciples  of 
Jesus?  Yes,  about  a  mile  from  here,  on  the  right,  just 
as  the  towers  and  domes  of  Damascus  were  rising  to  his 
view,  a  vision  flashed  upon  that  young  man’s  eyes,  a 
voice  thrilled  in  his  ears;  and  he  is  entering  that  city 
a  seeker  after  the  Saviour  whom  he  sought  to  destroy ! 

We  will  descend  from  the  mountain-side,  pass  through 
yonder  forest  of  fruit  trees,  and  enter  the  city  of  Damas¬ 
cus.  As  we  are  students  of  the  Bible,  our  search  is  for 
places  connected  with  the  Bible  story,  so  let  us  go  to 
the  “Street  called  Straight.” 

Position  98.  The  covered  “Street  called 
Straight,”  Damascus 

We  are  looking  toward  the  west.  Do  you  notice  that 
arched  roof  running  across  the  city?  Under  that  is  the 
“Street  called  Straight,”  where  Saul  not  yet  become 
Paul,  waited  in  his  blindness  in  the  house  of  Judas,  for 
the  coming  of  a  man  named  Ananias,  who  should  show 
him  how  to  be  saved.1  The  street  is  one  of  the  widest 
in  the  city,  and  extends  across  it  from  west  to  east  to  the 
old  wall,  roofed  over  with  tin  nearly  all  the  way.  In  the 

2  II.  Samuel  viii  :  5-7  ;  I.  Kings  xx  :  1-34.  4  Acts  ix  :  1-8. 

8  II.  Kings  v  :  1-18.  1  Acts  ix  :  10-17. 

Positions  97,  98.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE  199 

warm  days  the  shade  overhead  is  very  grateful,  and 
there  are  windows  here  and  there  for  ventilation.  The 
post-office  is  on  this  street,  but  it  is  not  a  very  im¬ 
portant  institution.  One  mail  a  day  brings  a  single 
small  bag  of  letters  for  distribution  among  three  hun¬ 
dred  thousand  people — you  can  judge  from  that  how 
little  Damascus  people  know  or  care  about  what  is  going 
on  in  the  rest  of  the  world  to-day !  On  either  side  are 
shops  to  tempt  the  tourist;  and  the  sales  are  carried  on 
after  the  Oriental  fashion,  with  a  long  time  spent  in 
“beating  down”  on  one  side,  and  “beating  up”  on  the 
other,  until  a  price  is  reached.  They  show  “the  house 
of  Ananias,”  the  believer  who  led  Saul  into  the  faith  of 
Christ,  a  little  to  the  left  of  this  street,  almost  at  its 
end.2  “Naaman’s  House,”  the  name  given  to  the  leper- 
hospital,  is  outside  the  wall.3  You  conclude,  and  right¬ 
ly,  from  the  number  of  mosques  in  sight  on  the  left 
of  Straight  street,  that  this  is  the  Moslem  quarter  of 
the  city;  the  Christian  quarter  is  toward  the  end  of  this 
street,  also  on  the  left;  and  the  Jewish  in  the  distance 
on  the  right. 

Do  you  notice  on  this  minaret,  how  unsymmetrical 
is  its  plastered  cupola,  and  how  dilapidated  is  the  gal¬ 
lery  beneath?  I  doubt  whether  there  is  a  window,  or 
an  arch,  or  a  wall,  built  by  an  Oriental  that  stands  abso¬ 
lutely  plumb !  Four  times  each  day  on  every  minaret 
in  sight,  and  from  two  hundred  more  in  the  city,  at 
the  same  minute,  you  will  see  the  Muezzin  standing,  and 
repeating  as  he  faces  in  turn  each  of  the  four  points  of 
the  compass,  “Arise  and  pray!  I  declare  that  God  is 
God  and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet !  Come  and  pray !” 

Along  that  street  under  the  arch  once  walked  An¬ 
anias,  a  servant  of  Christ,  with  mingled  hope  and  fear, 


2  Acts  xxii :  12,  13. 
s  II.  Kings  v  :  1. 


Position  9S.  Map  7. 


200 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


enquiring  for  the  house  of  Judas  and  in  it  for  one 
called  Saul  of  Tarsus.  In  some  synagogue  yonder  in 
the  Jewish  quarter  on  the  right,  Saul,  the  new  convert, 
“a  wolf  changed  to  a  lamb,”  gave  his  first  testimony  for 
Jesus.4  Three  years  he  was  absent  in  the  wilderness 
maturing  his  convictions,0  and  getting  in  order  that 
mighty  scheme  of  doctrine  that  was  to  transform  the 
church  from  a  J ewish  sect  to  a  religion  for  all  the  world. 
Then  he  suddenly  appears  in  Damascus  again,  and 
preaches  salvation  for  all  men,  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews, 
with  such  fervor  as  to  excite  wrath  among  Jews,  and 
alarm  even  among  believers.  Yonder  in  the  distance 
is  the  old  wall  where  he  was  let  down  in  a  basket  to  es¬ 
cape  his  foes  who  were  watching  the  gates.*  These  are 
the  memories  that  sweep  over  us  as  we  look  across  these 
houses  and  the  roofs  of  “the  Street  called  Straight.” 

The  present  condition  of  this  street  and  all  others  in 
Damascus  is  unspeakably  filthy,  but  would  you  like  to 
enter  some  of  the  homes  of  the  better  class?  Let  us 
turn  aside  from  Straight  street,  into  a  little  alley,  to  a 
wretched  entrance  through  a  dirty  passage,  and  see  what 
is  inside. 

Position  99.  The  inner  court  of  a  Damascus 
Home 

This  is  the  home  of  a  wealthy  Jew.  It  is  built,  you 
see,  around  a  square  court,  open  to  the  sky.  There  is 
a  water  fountain  in  the  center,  for  water  is  abundant 
and  cheap  in  this  city.  Around  it  are  flowers  in  pots 
and  beds;  also  trees  and  arbors.  You  notice  those  three 
arches;  they  open  into  a  covered  court,  a  wide  balcony, 

4  Acts  ix  :  19-21.  5  Galatians  i :  15-17. 

-  8  Acts  lx  :  23-26. 

Positions  98,  99.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


201 


with  rooms  at  either  end.  The  house  is  two  stories 
high,  and  if  we  should  visit  the  rooms,  we  should  find 
them  large  and  airy.  If  this  were  a  Mohammedan 
home  there  would  be  no  women  in  sight  while  visitors 
were  present.  One  of  these  two  Jewish  girls  is  dressed 
in  European  costume,  so  far  as  oriental  women  ever 
wear  it.  Generally  their  waists  fit  and  their  dresses 
hang  after  a  manner  that  would  give  an  American  lady 
the  horrors.  The  younger  woman  by  the  pool  has  on 
the  loose  robe  worn  by  ladies  in  the  Orient  in  their 
homes.  The  court  is  the  resort  of  the  family  by  day, 
and  at  night  it  is  often  illuminated  for  an  evening  re¬ 
ception. 

Some  of  the  Jewish  families  here  in  Damascus  claim 
direct  descent  from  Ishmael,  the  son  of  Abraham,  and 
take  enormous  pride  in  owning  pedigrees  reaching  back 
farther  than  any  European  royal  family,  in  fact,  thou¬ 
sands  of  years. 

In  an  oriental  court,  possibly  not  unlike  this  one, 
Peter  stood  and  warmed  himself,  when  he  denied  his 
Lord  at  the  palace  of  Caiaphas,  while  Jesus  was  being 
questioned  in  an  inner  room.1 

Owing  to  special  letters  of  introduction  we  shall  be 
able  next  to  visit  the  reception  room  of  one  of  the  high 
Mohammedan  officials. 

Position  ioo.  The  princely  reception  room  of  a 
Mohammedan  Pasha 

You  notice  that  it  is  paved  with  marble  tiles,  and  has 
an  inlaid  fountain  in  the  center.  This  Mohammedan 
has  become  so  Europeanized  that  he  has  chairs  and  sofas 
for  his  reception  room;  but  it  is  more  than  likely  that 

1  John  xviii :  26,  Revised  Version. 

Positions  99,  100.  Map  7. 


202 


TRAVELING  IN  THE  HOLY  LAND 


if  we  could  penetrate  to  the  harem,  or  women’s  apart¬ 
ments,  we  should  find  the  ladies  sitting  on  the  floor  as 
often  as  on  the  couches.  These  decorations  on  the  wall 
are  exquisitely  carved  and  inlaid  with  variegated  mar¬ 
bles.  Do  you  notice  this  chandelier  hanging  down  from 
the  ceiling?  Those  bulbs  below  it  are  not  for  electric 
lights ;  they  are  for  ornament  merely ;  and  the  light  is 
from  wax  candles.  The  other  hanging  lamp  is  ar¬ 
ranged  for  both  oil  and  candles,  you  perceive.  This 
raised  platform  in  the  foreground  is  the  divan,  where  a 
nobleman  receives  his  guests.  A  small  stand  is  upon  it, 
containing  trays  of  coffee-cups.  Fond  as  orientals  are 
of  smoking,  there  is  a  part  of  the  year  when  you  would 
never  find  a  devout  Mohammedan  indulging  himself  in 
that  way  between  daybreak  and  nightfall — the  annual 
month-long  fast  of  Ramadan  cuts  off  smoking,  coffee¬ 
drinking  and  every  manner  of  taking  food,  within  the 
usual  davtime  hours.  The  test  of  self-control  is  a 
severe  one  and  usually  faced  conscientiously. 

By  the  way,  the  hours  are  reckoned  here  in  a  manner 
different  from  our  own.  You  see  the  little  French 
clock  on  the  mantel.  If  it  is  to  show  the  time  accord¬ 
ing  to  Moslem  usage,  it  must  be  set  every  day — to  be 
accurate,  twice  each  day;  for  among  them,  as  it  was 
in  Bible  days,  one  o’clock  is  one  hour  after  sunrise,  and 
noon  is  six;  sunset  should  be  twelve;  and  the  hours  are 
never  on  successive  days  of  exactly  the  same  number  of 
minutes.  But  that  suits  the  oriental,  for  he  is  as  inex¬ 
act  and  careless  in  matters  of  time  as  he  is  in  everything 
else. 

It  was  in  a  home  right  here  in  Straight  street,  Da¬ 
mascus,  that  Ananias  came  with  trembling  to  lay  his 
hands  upon  the  much-feared  Saul  of  Tarsus.  It  was  in 


Position  lOO.  Map  7. 


THROUGH  THE  STEREOSCOPE 


203 


a  house  in  this  street  that  Saul’s  eyes  were  opened  to 
the  wonderful  work  to  which  he  had  been  called.1  For 
this  reason,  if  for  no  other,  we  should  look  with  interest 
into  this  room  in  old  Damascus. 

Here,  fellow  pilgrims,  we  end  our  journey.  Together 
we  came  ashore  on  the  strand  of  the  sea  at  Jaffa  and 
here  at  Damascus  by  the  strand  of  the  desert,  we  part. 
We  have  stood  amid  the  hills  of  Judah,  without  the 
sepulchre  of  the  patriarchs,  and  around  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem.  We  have  been  together  in  the  cave  of  the 
Nativity,  and  under  the  Dome  of  the  Eock,  and  on  the 
crown  of  Olivet.  We  have  wandered  beside  Jordan, 
and  over  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  over  the  Moun¬ 
tains  of  Galilee.  We  have  seen  the  paths  trodden  by 
Abraham,  and  David,  and  Paul.  We  have  seen  bat¬ 
tle-fields  where  Joshua,  and  Deborah,  and  Gideon  led 
the  hosts.  We  have  looked  upon  Elisha’s  spring,  and 
Jacob’s  well  and  Mary’s  fountain.  We  have  stood 
under  the  trees  in  the  Garden  where  our  Lord  suffered, 
have  looked  up  to  the  mountain  where  He  was  trans¬ 
figured,  and  on  the  green  hill  where  He  died.  The 
paths  of  patriarchs  and  prophets  and  apostles  we  have 
seen;  we  have  traveled  throughout  the  land  from  Heb¬ 
ron  to  Hermon,  and  from  the  sea  to  the  river;  and  here 
at  Damascus,  where  Paul  began  the  work  of  converting 
the  world,  we  end  our  Pilgrimage. 


1  Acts  ix  :  10-18. 


Position  100.  Map  7. 


APPENDIX 


(a)  Summary  of  Bible  History 

1.  The  central  theme  of  the  divine  revelation  is  re¬ 
demption,  or  salvation  through  Christ;  and  to  this 
theme  every  page  in  the  Bible  bears  some  relation. 

2.  In  the  Bible  this  theme  of  redemption  is  presented 
historically.  God  reveals  His  plan  of  saving  men,  not 
in  a  theological  system,  but  in  the  record  of  His  deal¬ 
ings  with  the  world,  and  especially  with  one  nation. 

3.  In  order  to  understand  the  contents  of  the  Bible 
we  must  master  an  outline  of  its  events. 

This  will  bring  to  our  attention  the  Six  Periods  of 
Bible  History,  of  which  all  but  one,  the  first,  are  closely 
connected  with  the  land  of  Palestine.  The  first  five 
are  periods  of  Old  Testament  history.  The  sixth  is  the 
New  Testament  period. 

I.  THE  PEKIOD  OF  THE  HUMAN  RACE  begins 
with  the  Creation  of  Man,  and  ends  with  the  Call  of 
Abraham  (B.  C.  1921,  according  to  the  common  chro¬ 
nology,  which  is  probably  incorrect).*  The  Human  Race 
is  the  subject  of  this  history.  No  tribe  or  nation  or 
family  is  selected;  but  the  story  of  mankind  is  related 
by  the  historian.  To  this  period  belong  the  names  of 
Adam,  Enoch  and  Noah,  and  the  events  of  the  Fall,  the 
Deluge,  and  the  Dispersion.  Its  story  is  told  in  the 
first  eleven  chapters  of  Genesis. 

II.  THE  PERIOD  OF  THE  CHOSEN  FAMILY 
extends  from  the  Call  of  Abraham  (B.  C.  1921?)  to 
the  Exodus  from  Egypt  (B.  C.  1491?).  The  great 
characters  of  this  period  are  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob 
and  Joseph.  We  notice  especially  the  recognition  of 
the  family .  Throughout  this  epoch  the  head  of  each 
family  or  clan  is  at  once  its  priest  and  its  ruler.  For 

*  The  chronology  printed  in  our  reference  Bibles  is  no  part  of  the 
sacred  text,  and  possesses  no  authority.  The  earlier  periods  are  un¬ 
certain,  but  from  the  time  of  David  it  may  be  regarded  as  measurably 
correct. 


SUMMARY  OP  BIBLE  HISTORY 


205 


this  reason  we  call  this  the  period  of  the  patriarchal 
government.  It  may  be  divided  into  three  epochs: 

1.  The  Journeyings  of  the  Patriarchs.  Moved  by  a 
Divine  impulse,  Abraham  went  forth  from  his  ancestral 
home  in  Chaldea,  and  after  a  long  journey  came  to  the 
land  of  Caanan.  But  in  the  land  he  possessed  no  set¬ 
tled  home.  He  lived  in  tents,  as  we  shall  see  his  de¬ 
scendant,  the  Bedouin,  living  even  now,  and  wandered 
from  place  to  place,  as  did  his  family  after  him  under 
Isaac  and  Jacob.  [Read  Genesis  xi:  27  to  xxxv:  29.] 

2.  The  Sojourn  in  Egypt.  The  Israelite  family,  now 
consisting  of  about  70  people,  were  driven  by  famine 
from  Palestine  down  to  Egypt,  and  remained  there  for 
several  generations,  gaining  thereby  much  benefit  from 
the  Egyptian  civilization,  and  increasing  vastly  in  num¬ 
ber.  [Read  Genesis  xxxvii  :  1.] 

3.  The  Oppression  of  the  Israelites.  The  enslave¬ 
ment  of  the  chosen  people  by  the  Egyptians  toward  the 
end  of  the  sojourn  is  divinely  overruled  to  become  the 
means  of  bringing  about  their  return  to  the  land  prom¬ 
ised  of  old  to  their  fathers.  [Read  Exodus  i  and  ii.] 

III.  THE  PERIOD  OE  THE  ISRAELITE  PEO¬ 
PLE  opens  with  the  Exodus  (or  “going  forth”)  from 
Egypt,  and  ends  with  the  coronation  of  Saul.  (B.  C. 
1491?  to  1095?).  When  the  Israelites  went  out  of 
Egypt  a  nation  was  born,  and  the  family  became  a  state, 
with  all  the  institutions  of  government.  During  these 
four  centuries  the  great  leaders  are  Moses,  the  lawgiver ; 
Joshua,  the  conqueror;  Gideon,  the  greatest,  and 
Samuel,  the  last  of  the  Judges.  The  story  of  the  going 
out  from  Egypt  is  given  in  Exodus  iii-xv.  We  call 
this  the  period  of  “theocratic  government”  from  the  fact 
that  there  was  no  king  in  Israel,  but  Jehovah  ruled  his 
people  through  leaders  raised  up  as  they  were  needed. 
This  period  is  subdivided  as  follows: 

1.  The  Wandering  in  the  Wilderness.  A  period  of 
forty  years’  training  in  self-reliance  and  in  statehood, 
preparing  them  for  the  conquest  of  their  land. 
[Read  Exodus,  xvi,  xx,  xxx-xxxv ;  Numbers,  xi-xiv, 
xx-xxiv;  Deut,  i-v,  xxxi-xxxiv.] 


206 


SUMMARY  OF  BIBLE  HISTORY 


2.  The  Conquest  of  Canaan.  This  involved  a  year 
of  hard  fighting  under  Joshna  and  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years  of  gradual  possession;  but  in  fact  the  conquest 
was  never  entirely  accomplished.  [Read  the  book  of 
Joshua  and  Judges  i.] 

3.  The  Rule  of  the  Judges.  After  the  death  of 
Joshua  the  people  were  left  under  their  tribal  organiza¬ 
tion  without  a  central  government;  but  from  time  to 
time  leaders  arose  to  direct  the  tribes,  especially  to  re¬ 
pel  invasion  and  reform  the  religious  life.  For  about 
three  hundred  and  thirty  years  a  succession  of  fifteen 
judges  ruled.  [Read  Judges  ii-xxi  and  I.  Samuel 
i-vii.] 


IV.  THE  PERIOD  OF  THE  ISRAELITE  KING¬ 
DOM  :  from  the  Coronation  of  Saul  to  the  Captivity  of 
Babylon.  (B.  C.  1095  to  587.)  From  a  republic  the 
Twelve  Tribes  were  transformed  into  a  kingdom;  hence 
we  call  the  five  centuries  of  this  period  “the  regal  gov¬ 
ernment.”  In  theory,  however,  it  was  still  a  “theo¬ 
cracy,”  and  the  king  was  regarded  as  the  executive  for 
the  invisible  Head  of  the  nation.  [Read  the  account  of 
the  change  in  I.  Sam.,  viii-xii.]  The  historical  charac¬ 
ters  during  the  period  of  the  kingdom  are  many,  but 
we  select  three:  David,  the  founder  of  the  empire; 
Elijah,  the  greatest  of  the  prophets,  and  Hezekiah,  the 
best  of  the  kings  of  Judah.  The  period  is  divided  into 
three  epochs. 

1.  The  Age  of  Unity  while  the  tribes  were  kept  to¬ 
gether  under  three  successive  kings,  Saul,  David  (who 
enlarged  his  realm  to  an  empire),  and  Solomon.  [Read 
I.  Sam.,  xiii  to  I.  Kings,  xi.] 

2.  The  Age  of  Division  (B.  C.  975  to  721).  Two 
rival  principalities,  Israel  and  Judah,  succeeded  the 
united  empire.  Nineteen  kings  governed  the  northern 
kingdom  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  until  they  were  finally  car¬ 
ried  captive  into  Assyria.  [Read  I.  Kings  xii  to  II. 
Kings  xvii.] 

3.  The  Age  of  Decay  (B.  C.  721  to  587).  The  same 
causes  which  had  destroyed  Israel  were  at  work  to  un¬ 
dermine  Judah,  and  at  last  it  fell  under  the  power  of 


SUMMARY  OF  BIBLE  HISTORY 


207 


Babylon,  and  its  people  were  taken  as  captives  to  Chal¬ 
dea,  there  to  remain  for  two  generations.  |  Read  II. 
Kings  xviii-xxv.] 

Y.  THE  PERIOD  OF  THE  JEWISH  PROV¬ 
INCE  extends  from  the  captivity  in  Babylon  to  the 
Birth  of  Christ  (B.  C.  587  to  4).  The  Tribe  of  Judah 
is  now  the  sole  remaining  branch  of  the  covenant  peo¬ 
ple,  and  for  most  of  this  period  it  is  under  a  foreign 
government.  Not  all  the  great  men  of  this  period  are 
familiar  to  us,  for  some  of  them  belong  to  the  “four 
centuries  of  silence,”  between  the  Old  and  New  Testa¬ 
ments.  Five  epochs  subdivide  the  period : 

1.  The  Chaldean  Supremacy  (587  to  536  B.  C.), 
while  the  Jews  were  captive  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon. 
The  character  who  represents  this  age  is  Daniel,  the 
princely  prophet.  [Read  Daniel  i  to  v.] 

2.  The  Persian  Supremacy  (  536  to  330  B.  C.).  The 
Chaldean  empire  was  conquered  by  Cyrus  the  Persian, 
who  permitted  the  captive  Jews  to  return  to  their  land, 
and  to  rebuild  their  city  and  temple.  They  lived  in 
peace  and  prosperity  under  the  Persian  rule  for  about 
200  years.  Ezra,  the  scribe  and  reformer,  is  the  repre¬ 
sentative  of  this  period.  [Read  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.] 

3.  The  Greek  Supremacy  (330  to  166  B.  C.).  The 
Persian  empire  was  overthrown  by  Alexander  the  Great. 
His  own  reign  was  brief,  but  his  successors  established 
Greek  Kingdoms  throughout  the  oriental  world.  Pales¬ 
tine  was  by  turns  under  the  rule  of  Egypt  and  Syria, 
but  most  of  the  time  was  permitted  to  enjoy  an  autono¬ 
mous  government.  The  canon  of  the  Old  Testament 
having  been  completed  about  400  B.  C.,  the  name  of 
the  greatest  Jew  of  this  epoch,  Simon  the  Just,  does  not 
appear  in  the  Scriptures. 

4.  The  Maccabean  Independence  (166  to  40  B.  C.). 

The  tyranny  of  the  King  of  Syria  drove  the  Jews  to 

revolt.  Under  Judas  Maccabeus,  a  splendid  hero,  they 
won  their  independence,  and  were  ruled  by  a  line  of 
princes  of  the  Maccabean  family. 

5.  The  Roman  Supremacy.  Gradually  the  Roman 
power  grew,  and  about  40  B.  C.  the  Jewish  state  was 


208 


SUMMARY  OF  BIBLE  HISTORY 


recognized  as  a  part  of  the  Roman  empire,  though  it 
was  ruled  by  its  own  king,  Herod  the  Great,  the  ablest 
man  of  that  epoch,  but  one  of  the  worst  in  personal 
character. 

VI.  THE  PERIOD  OF  THE  HEW  TESTAMENT : 
from  the  Birth  of  Christ,  B.  C.  4,  to  the  Destruction  of 
Jerusalem,  A.  D.  70.  The  history  is  no  longer  that  of 
an  earthly  state,  but  of  “the  kingdom  of  heaven,”  as 
established  by  the  Son  of  God.  The  period  is  divided 
into  two  sections. 

a.  The  Life  of  Christ  (30  years),  from  His  Birth 
to  His  Ascension.  This  life  is  so  all-important  as  to 
demand  a  subdivision,  as  follows : 

(1)  The  Thirty  Years  of  Preparation ,  from  the  Birth 
of  Jesus  to  His  Baptism  in  Jordan.  The  four  places 
most  prominently  brought  to  our  notice  are  Bethlehem, 
the  place  of  His  birth;  Nazareth,  the  home  of  His  boy¬ 
hood;  Jerusalem,  visited  during  His  youth,  and  Betha- 
bara,  where  He  was  baptized.  [Read  Luke  i-iv;  Matt. 

i,  u.] 

(2)  The  Year  of  Obscurity,  from  the  Baptism  to  the 
Rejection  at  Nazareth :  mostly  passed  in  the  province  of 
J udea.  The  places  to  be  noted  are :  J erusalem,  where 
He  attended  the  Passover;  Shechem,  near  where  He  sat 
at  Jacob’s  Well;  Cana,  where  He  wrought  His  first 
miracle,  and  Nazareth,  where  He  was  rejected  by  His 
townsmen.  [Read  J ohn  i-iv  and  Luke  iv :  1-32.] 

(3)  The  Year  of  Popularity :  from  the  Rejection  at 
Nazareth  to  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand.  This 
year  was  mainly  spent  in  the  province  of  Galilee,  with 
one  visit  to  Jerusalem.  Its  places  are:  Capernaum, 
His  home  during  this  ministry;  Bethsaida,  where  He 
fed  the  multitude ;  “The  Mountain,”  where  He  preached 
His  sermon;  Jerusalem,  where  He  healed  the  cripple. 
[Read  Matt,  iv:  12  to  xiv:  36.  Luke  iv:  31  to  ix:  17. 
John  v:  1  to  vi:  71. J 

(4)  The  Year  of  Opposition :  from  the  Feeding  of 
the  Five  Thousand  to  the  Anointing  by  Mary.  During 
this  year  Jesus  visited  in  turn  all  the  five  divisions  of 
Palestine.  Its  important  places  are:  Caesarea  Phil- 


SUMMARY  OP  BIBLE  HISTORY 


209 


ippi,  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon,  where  He  was  trans¬ 
figured;  Jerusalem,  where  He  attended  the  Feast  of 
Tabernacles;  Jericho,  where  He  was  entertained  by 
Zaccheus,  and  Bethany,  where  He  raised  Lazarus  to  life. 
[Read  Luke  ix:  18  to  xix:  28.  Matt,  xv:  1  to  xx:  34. 
John  vii:  1  to  xi:  57.] 

(5)  The  Week  of  the  Passion :  from  His  anointing 
by  Mary  to  His  Resurrection.  All  the  events  of  this 
tragic  week  took  place  in  and  around  Jerusalem.  The 
transactions  of  each  day  should  be  studied  and  the  lo¬ 
calities  noted  upon  the  map  of  the  city,  especially  Beth¬ 
any,  where  He  was  anointed ;  the  Mount  of  Olives,  where 
He  wept  over  the  city;  the  Temple,  where  He  taught; 
Mount  Zion,  where  He  partook  of  the  last  supper ; 
Gethsemane,  where  He  endured  the  agony;  and  Calvary, 
where  He  was  crucified.  [Read  Matt,  xxi-xxvii.  Luke 
xix  :  29  to  xxiii  :  56.  John  xii  :  1  to  xix  :  42.] 

(6)  The  Forty  Days  after  the  Resurrection.  Read 
and  compare  all  the  accounts,  arrange  in  order  the  ten 
appearances  of  the  Risen  Christ,  and  note  the  places,  as 
far  as  they  can  be  located — the  Tomb  in  the  Garden, 
from  which  He  arose;  Bmmaus,  where  He  appeared  to 
two  disciples;  Mount  Zion,  where  He  appeared  to  the 
ten  and  the  eleven  disciples;  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  where 
He  spoke  to  Peter;  “The  Mountain,”  where  He  was 
seen  by  many ;  and  Bethany,  where  He  ascended.  [Read 
Matt,  xxviii;  Mark  xvi.  Luke  xxiv.  John  xx.  and 
xxi.  Acts  i  :  1  to  12,  and  I  Cor.,  xv  :  1-7.] 

h.  The  Planting  of  the  Church,  from  the  Ascen¬ 
sion  of  Christ,  A.  D.  30,  to  the  Destruction  of  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  A.  D.  70.  These  forty  years  embrace  three  epochs : 

(1)  The  Church  in  Judea ,  from  the  Ascension  to  the 
Death  of  Stephen.  During  these  years  the  church  was 
composed  wholly  of  Jews,  and  was  limited  to  Jerusalem 
and  its  vicinity.  [Read  Acts  i  :  12  to  viii  :  4.] 

(2)  The  Church  in  Transition ,  from  the  Death  of 
Stephen  to  the  Council  at  Jerusalem.  Notice  how  the 
gospel  gradually  grew  from  a  Jewish  society  to  a  church 
for  people  of  all  nations.  The  centers  of  its  operation 
were  Jerusalem,  Samaria,  and  Antioch  in  Syria.  [Read 
Acts  viii:  5  to  xv:  35.] 


210 


SUMMARY  OF  BIBLE  HISTORY 


3.  The  Church  Among  the  Gentiles :  from  the  council 
at  J erusalem  to  the  Destruction  of  J erusalem.  The  his¬ 
tory  of  this  epoch  is  mainly  the  narration  of  Paul’s  min¬ 
istry  and  his  imprisonment.  [Bead  Acts  xv  :  36  to 
xxviii  :  31.]  By  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  and  the  destruc¬ 
tion  of  the  Jewish  state,  Christianity  and  Judaism  were 
forever  separated,  and  the  church  became  a  Gentile  in¬ 
stitution. 


(  b)  The  Land  of  Palestine 

There  is  no  land  in  all  the  earth  which  possesses  an 
interest  so  wide  and  so  deep  as  that  which  gathers 
aronnd  the  little  land  of  Palestine.  To  the  Christian 
nations — whether  Protestant,  Roman  Catholic,  or  Greek, 
it  is  the  home  of  their  religion,  and  to  every  Jew  it  is 
the  land  of  his  fathers.  Here  Abraham  pitched  his  tent, 
and  Jacob  saw  the  ladder  leading  heavenward,  and 
Joshua  led  his  conquering  host,  and  David  tuned  his 
harp,  and  Solomon  sat  in  his  glory,  and  Elijah  built  his 
altar,  and  Peter  preached  his  sermon,  and  the  Son  of 
Man  lived,  and  taught,  and  died.  Millions  who  have 
never  heard  of  the  Forum  or  the  Acropolis,  have  longed 
to  climb  Mount  Zion,  to  sail  the  sea  of  Galilee,  to  look 
up  the  snowy  crown  of  Hermon.  The  civilized  and 
Christian  world  turns  toward  Jerusalem  as  the  Holy 
City,  and  to  Palestine  as  the  Holy  Land.  Three-fourths 
of  the  history  contained  in  the  Bible  is  located  in  this 
country.  It  is  desirable,  therefore,  that  we  should  first 
of  all  obtain  some  general  knowledge  of  Palestine. 

I.  It  is  a  small  land.  The  section  west  of  the  Jor¬ 
dan,  which  is  the  more  important  of  its  divisions,  has  a 
smaller  area  than  Massachusetts,  or  Wales,  containing 
about  6,600  square  miles,  while  all  the  domain  of  the 
Twelve  Tribes  on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan  has  12,000 
square  miles,  about  as  much  as  Massachusetts  and  Con¬ 
necticut. 

II.  The  boundaries  of  the  land,  unlike  those  of  mod¬ 
ern  states,  are  indeterminate.  On  the  west,  the  Med¬ 
iterranean  Sea  gives  a  coast  line,  but  it  must  be  remem¬ 
bered  that  “the  land  of  Israel,”  or  the  country  actually 
occupied  by  the  Israelites,  never  extended  to  the  sea- 
coast  plain,  which  was  held  by  foreign  and  hostile  peo¬ 
ples.  On  the  north  the  Lebanon  Mountains  and  “the 


212 


THE  LAND  OP  PALESTINE 


coasts  of  Tyre  and  Sidon,”  on  the  east  and  south  the 
great  Syrian  and  Arabian  deserts,  were  natural  barriers. 
But  in  neither  of  these  directions  were  the  boundaries 
of  Palestine  surveyed  or  its  dimensions  fixed. 

III.  The  country  lies  in  five  Natural  Divisions,  near¬ 
ly  parallel,  running  from  north  to  south.  1.  The  Sea- 
Coast  Plain ,  to  the  west,  low,  sandy  and  fertile,  extends 
along  the  shore;  about  eight  miles  wide  at  its  northern 
end  near  Mount  Carmel,  broadening  to  twenty  miles  at 
the  south,  as  the  coast  trends  westward.  2.  The  Sheyhe- 
lah,  or  foothills,  rise  in  successive  terraces,  from  300  to 
500  feet  high,  a  continuous  line  from  the  north  to  the 
south  of  Palestine.  3  .The  Mountain  Region  rises  above 
the  Shephelah  and  forms  the  backbone  of  the  country ;  a 
series  of  rocky,  ragged  mountains  from  2,500  to  4,000 
feet  in  height,  broken  by  ravines.  This  mountain  land 
was  the  home  of  Israel  during  the  Old  Testament  period, 
after  the  conquest  of  Joshua.  4.  The  Jordan  Valley. 
A  deep  ravine,  with  precipitous  walls  on  either  side, 
having  its  bed  far  lower  than  the  level  of  the  sea.  At 
Tiberias  it  is  682  feet  below  the  sea-level,  at  the  Dead 
Sea  1,300  feet  below,  forming  a  gorge  from  two  to 
fourteen  miles  wide.  5.  The  Eastern  Table  Land,  a 
lofty  mountain  wall,  follows  the  line  of  the  J ordan.  Its 
summit  forms  a  great  plain,  broken  by  fewer  ravines 
than  are  the  mountains  on  the  east;  and  it  slopes  away 
to  the  great  Syrian  Desert. 

These  great  natural  features  of  the  land  will  come 
constantly  before  us  in  our  journeyings  throughout  the 
country,  and  need  to  be  clearly  understood  before  we 
begin  our  tour. 

IV.  The  Mountains  of  Palestine  belong  to  the  great 
Lebanon  system,  which  extends  from  Ararat  to  Sinai, 
in  a  continuous  line.  In  Palestine  the  Jordan  valley 
divides  the  system  into  two  parallel  ranges,  east  and 
west,  of  which  the  mountains  on  the  west  are  the  most 
important  in  history.  Of  the  eastern  range  only  two 
mountains  stand  out  prominently:  far  in  the  north 
(1),  Mount  Hermon,  whose  white  summit  dominates 


THE  LAND  OF  PALESTINE 


213 


the  entire  land,  and  may  be  seen  far  np  the  Jordan 
valley;  and  (2)  Mount  Nebo,  an  eminence  in  the  land 
of  Moab,  just  east  of  the  head  of  the  Dead  Sea.  On  one 
of  these  mountains  Jesus  was  transfigured;1  from  the 
other  Moses  looked  upon  the  land.2 *  The  important 
mountains  on  the  west  of  the  Jordan  are  many,  as  they 
were  the  localities  of  many  events  in  the  history.  (3) 
On  the  north,  Mount  Lebanon ,  west  of  Hermon,  famed 
for  its  cedars.*  (4)  Mount  Tabor ,  west  of  the  south¬ 
ern  end  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee;  the  scene  of  Deborah’s 
great  victory.4  (5)  Little  Hermon  (the  “hill  of 
Moreh”),  directly  south  of  Tabor.  (6)  Mount  Oilboa , 
south  of  Little  Hermon;  the  field  of  Gideon’s  victory,* 
and,  later,  of  King  Saul’s  defeat  and  death.*  These  three 
mountains — Tabor,  Little  Hermon  and  Gilboa,  form 
the  eastern  boundary  of  the  famous  Plain  of  Esdraelon. 
(7)  Mount  Carmel,  a  promontory  overlooking  the  Med¬ 
iterranean  Sea,  forms  the  western  limit  of  the  plain. 
This  mountain  was  the  scene  of  Elijah’s  great  sacrifice.1 * 
In  the  center  of  the  land  stand  two  mountains,  on  the 
north  (8),  Mount  Ebal,  “the  mount  of  cursing,”  and 
on  the  south  (9),  Mount  Gerizim,  “the  mount  of  bless¬ 
ing.”  Between  these  in  a  great  natural  amphitheatre 
the  people  listened  to  the  words  of  the  law  as  read  by 
Joshua.8  In  and  near  Jerusalem  are  three  mountains, 
hardly  to  be  distinguished  on  the  map  of  the  entire  land, 
but  prominent  in  connection  with  the  city.  The  south¬ 
western  hill  (10),  Mount  Zion,  on  which  David  built 
his  city9  (11),  Mount  Moriah,  east  and  north  of  Zion, 
the  site  of  Solomon’s  Temple.10  (12)  The  Mount  of 
Olives,  or  Mount  Olivet,  east  of  the  city;  from  which 
Christ  ascended.11 


Y.  We  may  also  locate  some  of  the  most  important 
places  in  the  land,  according  to  their  situation  in  the 
natural  divisions  of  the  country.  Beginning  with  the 
Sea-Coast  Plain  on  the  south,  we  find  (1)  Gaza,  con¬ 
nected  with  the  life  and  death  of  Samson.1*  (2) 


1  Luke  ix  :  28-36. 

2  Deut.  xxxiv  :  1-5. 

8  I.  Kings  v  :  6. 

*  Judges  iv  :  14. 

•  Judges  vii :  1. 

8  I.  Sam.  xxxi :  1-8. 


7  I.  Kings  xviii :  20. 

8  Joshua  viii :  31-36. 
•  II.  Sam.  v  :  7-9. 

10  II.  Chron.  ili :  1. 

11  Acts  i :  9-12. 

12  Judges  xvl :  21. 


214 


THE  LAND  OF  PALESTINE 


Joppa,  in  all  ages  the  principal  seaport  of  Palestine.1* 
(3)  Caesarea ,  south  of  Mount  Carmel,  the  capital  of  the 
country  during  the  Roman  period.14  (4)  Tyre ,  just 
outside  of  Palestine,  but  important  as  the  ancient  com¬ 
mercial  mart  of  the  Mediterranean. 

On  the  Shephelah  or  foothills  no  places  need  to  be 
mentioned  in  this  brief  summary,  but  in  the  Mountain 
Region  are  many  noteworthy  cities,  as  this  section  was 
the  field  of  much  Israelite  history.  We  take  as  a  start¬ 
ing  point  (5)  Jerusalem ,  “the  holy  city,”  due  west  of 
the  head  of  the  Dead  Sea;  and  we  give  the  distances 
from  it  to  the  neighboring  localities.  South  of  Jeru¬ 
salem  are  two:  (6)  Bethlehem  (6  miles),  the  birth¬ 
place  of  David  and  of  Christ.16  (7)  Hebron  (18  miles), 
the  burial  place  of  the  patriarchs,  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob.16  Now,  returning  to  Jerusalem,  and  proceeding 
northward  we  find  (8)  Bethel  (12  miles),  where  Jacob 
beheld  his  wondrous  vision;17  (9)  Shiloh  (17  miles), 
where  the  ark  rested  after  the  conquest  of  the  land.18 
(10)  Shechem  (34  miles),  between  the  twin  mountains 
Gerizim  and  Ebal,  the  place  where  the  law  was  read 
by  Joshua.  19  (11)  Samaria  (40  miles),  the  capital  of 

the  Ten  Tribes.20  (12)  Nazareth  (66  miles),  the  early 
home  of  Jesus,21  due  west  of  the  southern  end  of  the  Sea 
of  Galilee.  (13)  Cana  (70  miles),  where  Christ  wrought 
his  first  miracle.22  In  the  Jordan  Valley  we  note  a  few 
places.  (14)  Jericho  (18  miles  from  Jerusalem),  near 
the  Dead  Sea,  the  city  first  taken  by  Joshua.83  (15) 
Tiberias ,  on  the  southwestern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Gali¬ 
lee,  the  largest  city  on  the  lake.24  (16)  Capernaum. , 
on  the  northwestern  shore  of  the  same  sea;  the  home 
of  Christ  during  His  ministry  in  Galilee.25  East  of  the 
Jordan  we  need  only  mention  (17)  Caesarea  Philippi , 
at  the  foot  of  Mount  Hermon,  one  of  the  sources  of  the 
Jordan. 

It  would  be  well  for  every  student  of  these  stereo¬ 
graphs  to  note  carefully  each  of  these  places  upon  the 


13  Jonah  i :  3. 

14  Acts  xxiii :  33  ;  xxv  :  1. 

16  I.  Sam.  xvii  :  12  ;  Matt,  ii :  1. 
18  Gen.  xlix  :  29-31. 

17  Gen.  xxviii :  10-19. 

18  Joshua  xviii :  1. 

19  Joshua  viii :  33,  34. 


20  I.  Kings  xvi :  24. 

21  Luke  ii :  39-51. 

22  John  ii :  1-11. 

23  Joshua  vi :  1-27. 

24  John  vi :  23. 

25  Luke  iv  :  31. 


THE  LAND  OF  PALESTINE 


215 


maps,  and  to  keep  their  location  in  mind  while  we  are 
pursuing  our  journey. 


VI.  The  Political  Divisions  of  the  Land  at  each  of 
its  great  epochs  should  also  receive  some  attention. 

1.  In  the  earliest  period,  the  Age  of  the  Patriarchs, 
when  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  pitched  their  tents 
upon  it,  they  found  various  tribes  in  possession.  (1) 
On  the  Sea-Coast  Plain  the  Philistines  were  on  the 
south,  the  Canaanites  in  the  center,  around  Mount  Car¬ 
mel,  and  the  Phoenicians,  of  Tyre  and  Zidon,  on  the 
north.  (2)  In  the  Mountain  Eegion  were  the  Amorites 
(“mountaineers”)  in  the  south  around  Hebron,  the 
Jebusites  holding  the  stronghold  of  Jerusalem,  and  the 
Hittites  in  the  north.  The  Jordan  Valley  was  occu¬ 
pied  by  the  Canaanites,  “lowlanders,”  and  the  Eastern 
Table  Land  by  various  tribes  of  the  Amorites. 

2.  As  a  result  of  the  Israelite  conquest  of  the  land 
under  Joshua,  the  countrv  was  divided  into  Twelve 
Tribes,  although  their  dominion  was  only  nominal  over 
the  Shephelah  and  the  Jordan  Valley,  and  not  at  all 
recognized  on  the  Sea-Coast  Plain.  The  Mountain  Re¬ 
gion,  on  both  sides  of  the  Jordan,  was  the  home  of  the 
Israelites.  East  of  the  Jordan,  Reuben  held  the  south, 
Gad  the  center,  and  Manasseh-east,  a  half  tribe,  the 
north.  West  of  the  Jordan,  Judah  was  on  the  moun¬ 
tains  adjoining  the  Dead  Sea  ;  Ephraim  held  the  rich 
middle-territory  around  Gerizim  and  Ebal;  Napthali 
was  northwest  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  and  the  other 
smaller  tribes  clustered  around  these.  The  boundary 
lines  of  the  tribes  were  never  distinctly  marked  and 
after  a  time  were  entirely  obliterated. 

3.  Under  David  the  land  was  consolidated  into  one 
kingdom,  but  after  Solomon  it  was  divided  into  two,  of 
which  the  Ten  Tribes  or  Samaria  was  the  larger,  on  the 
north;  and  Judah,  the  smaller,  on  the  south.  The 
boundary  between  constantly  varied,  but  was  generally 
a  line  running  east  and  west,  somewhere  between  Jeru¬ 
salem  and  Bethel. 

4.  In  the  New  Testament  Period,  Palestine  had  come 
under  the  power  of  Rome  and  embraced  live  Provinces : 


216 


THE  LAND  OP  PALESTINE 


Judea  on  the  southwest,  Samaria  (a  district  without 
definite  boundaries,  and  not  properly  a  province)  in  the 
center,”  and  Galilee  on  the  north.  All  these  were  on 
the  west  of  the  J ordan.  On  the  east  of  the  J ordan  were : 
Prea,  on  the  south,  called  also  “ Judea  beyond  Jor¬ 
dan”;”  and  on  the  north  a  loosely-related  group  of 
principalities  called  “Philipps  Tetrarchy,”  from  the 
name  of  its  ruler.28  This  was  the  region  named  Bashan 
in  the  Old  Testament.28 

a*  John  iv  :  8,  4. 

K  Matt,  xix :  L 
28  Luke  iii :  L 
22  Numbers  xxl :  33. 


INDEX 

The  Position  numbers  are  given  in  heavy  type  and  the  book  pages  in  lighter 

type. 

Position  Page 


Ajalon,  plowing  in  the  valley  of .  8  37 

Akka,  Bay  of . 79  168 

Am  was  (Emmaus),  village  of .  7  35 

Baalbec,  ruins  of,  the  mightiest  building  stone  ever  cut . 95  192 

“  colossal  remnants  of  the  “Sun  ”  Temple . 96  194 

Banias  (see  Caesarea  Philippi). 

Beatitudes,  Mount  of,  looking  northeast  from . 81  171 

“  “  from  the  traditional  site  of  Bethsaida . 86  178 

Bethany,  general  view  of,  south  from  the  eastern  slope  of  Olivet. .  .36  92 

“  Ruins  of  the  home  of  Martha,  Mary  and  Lazarus . 37  95 

“  The  lower  road  to  Bethany  southeast  from  Jerusalem ...  33  88 

Bethel,  gathering  tares  from  the  wheat  in  the  fields  of . 53  123 

Bethlehem,  general  view  of,  west  from  the  Church  of  Nativity. ... 39  98 

*  Church  of  Nativity  and  street  scene . 38  96 

“  A  barley  harvest  near . 40  100 

Bethsaida,  traditional  site  of . 86  178 

Caesarea  Philippi  (Banias),  old  gate  to . 90  186 

“  “  summer  houses  at . 91  187 

Cana  of  Galilee,  and  its  well,  from  the  south . 80  170 

Capernaum,  traditional  site  of,  from  the  northwest . 87  181 

Carmel,  Mount,  and  western  end  of  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon . 75  163 

“  “  and  River  Kishon . 76  165 

“  “  Looking  east  from,  to  Haifa  and  the  Bay  of  Akka. .79  168 

“  “  Rock  of  Elijah’s  Altar . 77  166 

“  “  Druse  women  at  the  village  oven,  Dalieh . 78  167 

Cherith  Brook,  marvelous  gorge  and  Elijah  Convent . 51  120 

Damascus,  general  view,  from  the  northwest . 97  196 

“  The  covered  “Street  called  Straight,”  from  the  north¬ 
east . 98  198 

“  The  inner  court  of  a  Damascus  home . 99  200 

“  The  princely  reception  room  of  a  Pasha . 100  201 

Dan,  the  Jordan’s  main  source  at . 88  182 

Dead  Sea,  on  the  north  shore  of,  looking  southwest . 45  110 

Dothan,  “Joseph’s  Well,”  at . 65  147 

“  Plain  of . 64  145 

Druse  women,  Dalieh,  Mount  Carmel . 78  167 

Ebal,  Mount,  from  Mt.  Gerizim . 58  132 

Elijah’s  Altar,  rock  of,  on  Mt.  Carmel . 77  166 

Elijah,  Brook  Cherith,  and  Elijah  Convent,  where  the  Prophet 

was  fed  by  the  ravens . 61  120 

“  River  Kishon,  where  Elijah  slew  the  Prophets  of  Baal . 76  165 


218 


INDEX 


Position  Page 

Elisha,  F ountain  of,  near  Jericho . 49  117 

(Emmaus)  see  Am  was. 

Esdraelon  (or  Jezreel),  western  end  of  plain,  from  Sheikh  Barak  75  163 

“  “  Plain  of,  from  Rock  of  Elijah’s  altar  on 

M t .  Carmel . 77  166 

Gadarenes,  the  distant  hills  of . 85  177 

Galilee,  Sea  of,  from  the  Mt.  of  Beatitudes . 81  171 

at  Tiberias,  from  the  northwest . 82  173 

at  Tiberias,  from  the  southeast . 83  175 

life  on  the  shore  of,  at  Tiberias . 84  176 

“  fishermen  on . 85  177 

traditional  site  of  Bethsaida . 86  178 

“  “  and  traditional  site  of  Capernaum,  from  the  north¬ 
west . 87  181 

Gehenna  (see  Hinnom). 

Gerizim,  Mt.  from  Jacob’s  Well . 56  129 

Shechem  from . 58  132 

Gideon’s  battlefield,  north  from  Jezreel . 68  152 

Spring,  Mt.  Gilboa . 66  148 

Gilboa,  Mount . 66  148 

“  “  south  from  Mt.  Tabor . 70  155 

Haifa,  east  from  Mt.  Carmel . 79  168 

Hasbany  River,  Roman  bridge  over . 89  184 

Hebron,  general  view  from  east . 41  102 

Mosque  Machpelah . 42  104 

Hermon,  Mt.,  foot  of . 90  186 

Herod’s  Street  of  Columns,  Samaria . 63  144 

Herod’s  Temple,  remains  of . 30  81 

Hinnom,  Valley  of . 13  49 

Jacob’s  Well,  entrance  to,  and  Plain  of  Mukhna,  looking  southeast. .55  127 

steps  leading  to,  and  Mt.  Gerizim,  looking  southwest. 56  129 

a  Samaritan  woman  at . 57  131 

Jaffa,  general  view  from  the  sea .  1  20 

“  the  bazaar .  2  24 

"  house  of  Simon  the  Tanner .  3  26 

Jerusalem,  general  view,  southwest  from  northern  wall . 11  45 

general  view,  of  city  and  the  Mt.  of  Olives,  east  from 

the  Latin  Hospice . 12  47 

general  view,  from  the  Mt.  of  Olives . 18  58 

Calvary — “The  New  Calvary,”  outside  of  the  Damas¬ 
cus  Gate . 26  74 

Christian  Street . 19  62 

“  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  ..  .20, 11,12,18  64,45,47,58 

Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  Easter  procession  of  the 

Greek  Patriarch,  entering . 22  68 

Church  of  the  Armenian  Christians . 24  70 

Damascus  Gate . 29  79 

Dome  of  the  Rock,  site  of  Solomon’s  Temple  .  .30,12,18  81,47,58 

Gethsemane,  Garden  of . 17,18,33  57,58,88 

Gethsemane,  Garden  of,  Ancient  Olive  Trees  in . 35  91 

Gihon,  lower  Pool  of . 13  49 

“  Golden  Gate . 18  58 


INDEX 

Pos 

Jerusalem,  Golgotha  (see  Calvary). 

Hinnom  (Gehenna),  Valley  of,  cattle  market  day  in. 


Jehoshaphat,  Valley  of  (see  Kedron). 


Lepers,  ‘ ‘Unclean !  Unclean ! ’ 


Mosque  el  Aksa,  Pulpit  of  Omar  in . 

Mosque  of  Omar  (see  Dome  of  the  Rock). 

Mount  of  Evil  Counsel,  looking  north  from . 

Mount  Moriah . 30,  18,  12 

Mount  of  Offence,  from  the  south . 

Mount  of  Olives . 12,  16,  17,  18,  33  47,  51 

Mount  Scopus . 


Siloam,  Village  of,  from  the  south . 

Solomon’s  Temple,  site  of . 

Solomon’s  Temple,  Rock  where  Altar  stood. 
Solomon’s  Temple,  Outer  Wall  of . 


fcion 

219 

Page 

.13 

49 

.21 

66 

10 

42 

.26 

74 

L7, 18 

,  55, 

57,  58 

,14 

55,  51 

.34 

90 

30 

81 

.32 

86 

.14 

51 

81, 

58,  47 

14 

51 

57, 

58,  88 

.26 

74 

18 

40,  58 

.15 

53 

.14 

51 

18 

81,  58 

.31 

84 

25 

72 

14 

55,  51 

.28 

77 

.16 

55 

.27 

76 

.28 

77 

Tomb  with  the  stone  rolled  away . 

Tower  of  David .  9, 11,  18  40,45,58 

Tower  of  Antonia . 18  58 

Via  Dolorosa,  pilgrims  on . 23  69 

Wailing  Place,  the  Jews’ . 25  72 

Jericho,  mountains  of  Judea  from  the  plain  of . 48  115 

“  ruins  of . 50  118 

Jezreel,  the  plain  of  (see  Esdraelon). 

“  the  valley  of . 67  151 

“  site  of  town . 68  152 

Jordan,  the  main  source  at  Dan . 88  182 

“  baptizing  in . 47  113 

“  the  plain  of . 50  118 

“  west  from  the  cliffs  of  Moab . 46  112 

Joseph’s  Tomb . 68  132 

Joseph’s  Well,  Dothan . 65  147 

Kishon,  river  of . 76  165 

Lebanon,  mountains  of,  at  Zahleh . 94  191 

Lydda,  the  Old  Testament  Lod .  5  30 

“  Syrian  travelers  near .  6  33 

Mar  Saba,  the  lonely  convent  of . 43  106 

Mill ,  women  grinding  at . 60  139 

Moab,  looking  west  from  cliffs  of . 46  112 

Moab,  from  the  ruins  of  ancient  Jericho . 60  118 


220 


INDEX 


Position  Page 

Moreh,  Hill  of,  from  Jezreel . 68  152 

“  from  Mount  Tabor . 70  155 

Mukhna  (or  Moreh),  Plain  of,  from  Jacob’s  Well . 65  127 

Nablus  (ancient  Shechem)  from  Mt.  Gerizim . 68  132 

Nain,  village  of . 69  154 

Nazareth,  general  view  from  northeast . 71  157 

ancient  Fountain  of  the  Virgin . 72  159 

Greek  church,  on  the  supposed  site  of  the  synagogue 

where  Christ  taught . 73  160 

A  Christian  girl  of  Narazeth . 74  162 

Olives,  Mt.  of,  from  Latin  Hospice  in  Jerusalem . 12  47 

“  and  Garden  of  Gethsemane  from  eastern  wall  of 

Jerusalem . 17  57 

“  Jerusalem  from . 18  58 

“  lower  Road  to  Bethany . 33  88 

“  “  from  Bethel . 63  123 

Pentateuch  roll,  Samaritans’ . 69  137 

Plowing  in  the  Valley  of  Ajalon .  8  37 

Ramah,  a  street  in . 62  121 

Reaping,  barley  harvest  near  Bethlehem . 40  100 

Samaria,  general  view  of  hill  of,  from  the  south . 61  140 

ancient  royal  city,  from  the  east . 62  143 

Herod’s  street  of  Columns,  from  the  west . 63  144 

Samaritan  woman . 67  131 

Samaritan  High  Priest . 69  137 

Samaritan  ancient  place  of  worship,  Mt.  Gerizim . 66  129 

Samaritan  Pentateuch  roll . 69  137 

Sharon,  “roses  of  Sharon,”  on  the  Plain  of .  4  28 

Shechem  (Nablus),  general  view  from  Mt.  Gerizim . 58  132 

Sheepfold . 69  154 

Sheikh  Barak . 75  163 

Shepherd  and  flock . 67  151 

Shiloh . 64  126 

Sidon,  ancient  citadel  in  the  sea  at . 93  190 

Tabor,  Mt.,  from  Nain,  or  the  southwest . 69  154 

“  looking  south  from,  to  Hill  of  Moreh . 70  155 

Tares,  gathering  from  the  wheat  in  the  field  of  Bethel . 53  123 

Temptation,  Mount  of . 48  115 

Threshing  floor . 61  140 

Tiberias  (on  the  Sea  of  Galilee),  General  view  from  the  northwest. 82  173 

‘  view  from  the  southeast. . . . 83  175 

life  on  the  shore  of  Galilee,  at . 84  176 

fishermen  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  near . 85  177 

Tyre,  ruins  of . 92  188 

Wilderness  of  Judea . 43  106 

of  Scape-goat,  or  Judea . 44  108 


The  Stereoscope  in. 
the  Public  Schools 


“  It  is  as  absurd  to  study  history  or  geography  without 
adequate  first-hand  experience  of  seeing  places,  things  and 
people,  with  the  life-like  realism  of  the  stereoscope,  as  to  study 
natural  sciences  without  a  laboratory.  Sense  experience 
should  be  the  foundation-stone  of  mind  building. ” — Dr.  Win- 
ship,  Editor  of  The  Journal  of  Education. 

“  The  most  important  step  made  to  aid  in  the  use  of  photo¬ 
graphic  illustration  is  the  patent-map  system  which  goes  with 
each  collection  of  the  Underwood  stereographs.  The  stereo¬ 
graphs  are  numbered,  and  on  the  accompanying  map  the 
same  number  is  placed  at  the  point  from  which  the  view  was 
taken,  and  from  which  red  lines  are  drawn  enclosing  the  space 
included  in  the  view.  Thus  it  is  with  every  view.  Carefully 
studying  the  map  and  facing  in  the  direction  indicated  by  the 
map,  we  go  over  the  whole  land,  and  see  it  just  as  if  we  were 
traveling  in  the  land  itself.” — F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.D.,  Editor 
“Select  Notes”  on  the  S.  S.  Lessons. 

“  In  late  years  there  has  been  perfected  something  that,  in 
my  judgment,  goes  ahead  of  ordinary  pictures,  and  quenches 
the  mind’s  thirst  for  the  concrete  almost  as  completely  as  the 
very  object  before  the  bodily  sight.  I  refer  to  the  stereo¬ 
graph.  The  art  of  illustration,  as  we  all  know,  has  been  mar¬ 
velously  improved  in  recent  years.  Our  commonest  school¬ 
books  to-day  have  process  illustrations  that  for  accuracy, 
delicacy,  and  beauty  are  greatly  superior  to  the  best  of  sixty 
years  since.  Our  ten-cent  magazines  are  familiar  miracles 
of  picture-books.  Certainly  the  human  mind  has  been 
vastly  enriched  by  this  cheapening  and  perfecting  of  processes 
of  illustration.  But  even  the  best  pictures  we  still  feel  to  be 
but  pictures;  they  do  not  create  the  illusions  of  reality,  solid¬ 
ity,  depth.  ‘The  best  in  this  kind  are  but  shadows.’  But  with 
the  stereoscope  the  wonder  of  photography  is  brought  to  its 
culmination.  Man  is  a  two-eyed  animal,  and  the  stereoscope 
with  its  two  lenses  that  blend  two  pictures  into  one  is  like  a 
pair  of  omnipresent  human  eyes,  at  the  command  of  every 
one.” — George  J.  Smith,  Ph.D.,  Board  of  School  Examiners, 
New  York. 


The  Travel  Lessons 


ON  THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS 

- AND - 

ON  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 

Rev.  William  Byron  Forbush,  Ph.D.,  author  of  “  The  Boy 

Problem/’  has  worked  out  by  actual  experience  with  his 
famous  Boston  class,  these  original,  inspiring  Bible  Study 
courses. 

“The  Travel  Lessons  on  the  Life  of  Jesus,”  giving  36  stand¬ 
points,  with  a  complete  handbook,  204  pages,  in  cloth,  3  pat¬ 
ent  maps  and  case . $6.50 

“The  Travel  Lessons  on  the  Old  Testament,”  divided  into  4 
courses,  giving  51  standpoints  in  all,  complete  handbook,  211 
pages,  5  patent  maps  and  case . $9.00 

Separate  courses  as  follows: 

Course  I. — The  Patriarchs  of  Israel,  13  places . $2.17 

II. — The  Founders  of  the  Kingdom,  15  places  2.50 
“  III. — The  Early  Kings  and  Prophets,  14  places  2.33 
“  IV. — The  Later  Kings  and  Prophets,  9  places  1 .50 

Both  Old  and  New  Testament  courses  are  arranged  to  ac¬ 
company  International,  Blakeslee’s,  Davis’,  Murray’s  and  all 
Sunday  School  and  personal  Bible  Study  courses,  or  may  be 
used  independently .  They  solve  these  problems :  Attendance, 
order,  interest  in  Bible,  real  religious  education.  They  intro¬ 
duce  an  entirely  new  method  and  apparatus  which  makes  an 
addition  of  permanent  and  constant  value  to  the  equipment 
for  Bible  study  classes. 

The  Plan  of  these  Travel  Lessons  is  to  teach  Biblical  history 
while  the  student  is  in  the  very  presence  of  the  places  in  Pal¬ 
estine  where  that  history  was  enacted. 

Ex-Gov.  John  L.  Bates,  Mass. : 

“So  realistic  and  natural  is  the  scene  made  that  one  feels  that  he  is  behold¬ 
ing  the  actual  scenery;  he  obtains  the  inspiration  that  actual  sight  gives." 

Geo.  A.  Gordon,  D.D. : 

“After  looking  over  your  stereographs  of  Palestine  one  feels  as  if  he  had 
looked  upon  natural  scenery  itself." 

O.  E.  Brown,  D.D. : 

“  The  use  of  the  hand-books  and  maps  prepares  one  to  look  upon  the  scenes 
with  a  perfectly  definite  sense  of  location,  and  they  do  actually  produce  the 
realization  of  having  seen  the  actual  locality  and  not  merely  a  picture  of  it." 

The  Sunday  School  Times : 

“  Dr.  Forbush  is  proving  in  his  own  Sunday  School  that  it  is  possible  to  get 
a  class  of  twenty-five  healthy,  restless,  American  boys  as  much  interested  in 
studying  the  life  of  Christ  as  they  are  in  football  scores." 

Mr.  Edwin  F.  See,  Gen.  Secy.,  Brooklyn  Y.  M.  C.  A. : 

“  I  have  examined  with  great  care  and  used  in  class  work  stereoscopes  and 
stereographs  suggested  for  the  use  of  Bible  courses  by  Dr.  Forbush  through 
Underwood  &  Underwood.  It  gives  what  is  very  much  needed,  reality  to 
the  persons  and  scenes  of  the  Bible." 

Send  for  Dr.  Forbush’s  free  descriptive  circular  of  either  or 
both  of  these  courses  to  Underwood  &  Underwood,  Bible 
Study  Dept.,  Fifth  avenue  and  19th  street,  New  York  City. 


UNDERWOOD 

Stereoscopic  Tours 


The  Underwood  Stereoscopic  Tours  are  put  up  in  neat  Vol¬ 
ume  Cases,  or  Underwood  Extension  Cabinets,  and  the  stereo- 
graphed  places  are  arranged  in  the  order  in  which  a  tourist 
might  visit  the  actual  scenes. 

Note  that  these  are  all  Original  Stereographs,  not  copies. 
Our  improved  Aluminum-Mahogany  Stereoscope  sells  for 
90  cents.  This  is  not  included  in  the  prices  given  below.  A 
higher  priced  stereoscope  can  be  furnished  if  desired. 

China  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  358  pages,  in  cloth, 
by  James  Ricalton,  eight  patent  maps  and  case,  $  17.75. 

Boxer  Uprising  Tour — Cheefoo,  Taku,  Tientsin — (a  part  of  the  China 
Tour) — Giving  26  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and 
case,  $4.50. 

Hongkong  and  Canton  Tour  (a  part  of  the  China  Tour) — Giving  15 
standpoints,  with  guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and  case,  $2.70. 

Pekin  Tour  (a  part  of  the  China  Tour) — Giving  32  standpoints,  with 
guide  book,  two  patent  maps  and  case,  $5.40. 

Egypt  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  350  pages,  in  cloth. 

by  James  H.  Breasted,  Ph.D.,  twenty  patent  maps  and  case,  $18.00. 
Grand  Canyon  of  Arizona  Tour. — Giving  18  standpoints,  with  guide  book, 
two  patent  maps  and  case,  $3.15. 

Italy  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  602  pages,  in  cloth, 
by  D.  J.  Ellison,  D.D.,  ten  patent  maps  and  case,  $18.00. 

Rome  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Italy  Tour) — Giving  46  standpoints,  with  guide 
book,  310  pages,  in  cloth,  by  D.  J.  Ellison,  D.D.,  five  patent  maps  and 
case.  $8.60. 

Niagara  Falls  Tour. — Giving  18  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  two  patent 
maps  and  case,  $3.10. 

Palestine  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  220  pages,  in 
cloth,  by  Jesse  L.  Hurlbut,  D.D.,  seven  patent  maps  and  case,  $17.60. 

Jerusalem  Tour  fa  part  of  the  Palestine  Tour) — Giving  27  standpoints, 
with  guide  book,  patent  map  and  case,  $4.60. 

Pilgrimage  to  see  the  Holy  Father  Tour. — Giving  26  standpoints,  with  ex¬ 
planatory  notes  on  backs  of  stereographs,  guide  book,  71  pages,  in 
cloth,  patent  map  and  case,  $4.75. 

President  McKinley  Tour  No.  5. — Giving  60  standpoints,  with  guide  book, 
183  pages,  in  cloth,  and  leatherette  case,  $10.50. 

President  McKinley  Tour  No.  2. — Giving  24  standpoints,  with  case,  $4.00. 
President  Roosevelt  Tour. — Giving  36  standpoints,  with  case,  $6.00. 

Russia  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  216  pages,  in  cloth, 
by  M.  S.  Emery,  ten  patent  maps  and  case,  $17.75. 

Moscow  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Russia  Tour) — Giving  27  standpoints,  with 
guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and  case,  $4.60. 

St.  Petersburg  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Russia  Tour) — Giving  39  stand¬ 
points,  with  guide  book,  five  patent  maps  and  case,  $6.60. 

St.  Pierre  and  Mt.  Pelee  Tour. — Giving  18  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  by 
George  Kennan,  patent  maps  and  case,  $3.15. 

Switzerland  Tour.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  274  pages,  in 
cloth,  by  M.  S.  Emery,  eleven  patent  maps  and  case,  $17.75. 

Bernese  Alps  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour) — Giving  27  standpoints, 
with  guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and  case,  $4.60. 

Engadine  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour) — Giving  8  standpoints, 
with  guide  book,  four  patent  maps  and  case,  $1.50. 

Lake  Lucerne  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour) — Giving  11  stand¬ 
points,  with  guide  book,  three  patent  maps  and  case,  $2.05. 

Mont  Blanc  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour) — Giving  23  stand¬ 
points,  with  guide  book,  two  patent  maps  and  case,  $3.95. 

Zermatt  Tour  (a  part  of  the  Switzerland  Tour) — Giving  15  standpoints, 
with  guide  book,  two  patent  maps  and  case,  $2.70. 


Trip  Around  the  World  Tour. — Giving  72  standpoints,  with  explanatory 
notes  on  backs  of  stereographs,  guide  book,  56  pages,  map  and  case, 
$12.25. 

United  States  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  explanatory  notes  on 
backs  of  stereographs,  guide  book,  72  pages,  four  patent  maps  and 
case,  $17.00. 

Washington  Tour. — Giving  36  standpoints,  and  6  standpoints  in  environs, 
with  guide  book,  178  pages,  in  cloth,  by  Rufus  Rockwell  Wilson,  four 
patent  maps  and  case,  $8.00. 

World’s  Fair  (Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition)  Tour — Giving  55  standpoints, 
with  explanatory  notes  on  backs  of  stereographs,  with  guide  book,  patent 
map  and  case,  $9.30. 

Yellowstone  National  Park  Tour. — Giving  30  standpoints,  with  explanatory 
notes  on  backs  of  stereographs,  with  guide  book,  patent  map  and  case, 
$5.15. 

Yosemite  Valley  Tour. — Giving  24  standpoints,  with  guide  book,  by  Chas. 
Q.  Turner,  patent  map  and  case,  $4.10. 

The  following  “Tours”  are  not,  as  yet,  provided  with 
special  maps  and  guide  book,  but  the  full,  descriptive  titles 
given  to  identify  each  outlook  will  be  found  of  great  practical 
assistance  in  studying  the  countries  in  question: 

Austria  Tour. — Giving  84  standpoints,  with  case,  $14.00. 

Belgium  Tour. — Giving  24  standpoints,  with  case,  $4.00. 

British  Boer  War  Tour. — Giving  72  standpoints,  with  case,  $12.00. 

Ceylon  Tour. — Giving  30  standpoints,  with  case,  $5.00. 

Cuba  and  Porto  Rico  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 
England  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

France  Tour. — Giving  72  standpoints,  with  case,  $12.00. 

Germany  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Greece  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Holland  Tour. — Giving  30  standpoints,  with  case,  $5.00. 

India  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Ireland  Tour.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Japan  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Japan  Tour  No.  2. — Giving  200  standpoints,  with  cases,  $33.20. 

Mexico  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Norway  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Philippines  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Portugal  Tour. — Giving  60  standpoints,  with  case,  $10.00. 

Prince  Henry  Tour. — Giving  24  standpoints,  with  case,  $4.00. 

Scotland  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Spain  Tour.— Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Sweden  Tour. — Giving  100  standpoints,  with  case,  $16.60. 

Other  interesting  and  instructive  tours  can  be  made  up  from  the  large 
collection  of  original  stereographs  always  in  stock,  or  from  new  stereographs 
which  are  constantly  being  added. 

We  advise  our  customers  to  purchase  complete  tours  on  the  countries 
they  may  be  interested  in.  One  hundred  stereographed  places  of  one 
country  will  generally  give  much  better  satisfaction  than  the  same  number 
scattered  over  several  countries.  Many  of  our  patrons  are  placing  all  of  our 
educational  tours  in  their  homes  alongside  of  the  standard  works  on  those 
countries.  Schools  and  public  libraries  are  turning  more  and  more  to  the 
stereoscope  to  put  their  students  and  readers  in  touch  with  the  actual  places 
of  which  they  are  studying.  The  United  States  Government  considered 
them  so  valuable  that  all  educational  tours  published  to  date,  with  the  new 
Underwood  Extension  Cabinet,  were  purchased  for  the  United  States  Mil¬ 
itary  Academy  at  West  Point. 

When  two  or  more  of  the  “100”  tours  are  wanted,  we  recommend  the 
“Underwood  Extension  Cabinet.”  It  can  be  “built  up”  from  time  to  time 
as  desired,  holding  from  200  to  2,000  stereographed  places,  or  more. 

UNDERWOOD  &  UNDERWOOD 

3-5  West  19th  Street,  Corner  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 

LONDON,  ENGLAND.  TORONTO,  CANADA 

BOMBAY,  INDIA.  OTTAWA,  KANSAS. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  CAL. 


PALESTINE  TOUR,  MAP  1 


SCALE  OFVEET 


I  Old  Foundations 

V 


|§tk# 

JVSr% 

^JJave  of  Jeremiah-?-'; 


If  W/ 

Wei  Cisterns 


Cisterns, 

til  jp'l 


t>'AMASCU! 


7STEPHEN3G\TI 

L > 

n  hr  c 


^Ruin^ 


lurkiah  Be 


Synagugi 


,tTer-jtf . 


nOR  ZION  .GAT! 


\Protestanf School 


lewis  ItCeiiie  te  r  u  - 

_ _ zr_- 


{<■  .Field  o  f  Blood 
^^^T^'Acc  ldam  a' 


Leper  District. 


Copyright  1 900 ,  by  Underwood  &  Underwood, 

Patented  U.8.A.,  August  21, 1900.  Patented  Great  Britain,  March  22, 1900 


80RMAY  «c  CO.,  ENGR’8  N.Y. 

Switzerland,  Patent  Sr.  SlJtiU 


Patented,  France,  March  26, 1900.  S.  O.  D.  O. 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  MAP  SYSTEM. 


(1)  The  red  lines  on  this  map  mark  out  the  territory  shown  in  the  respective  stereographs. 

(2)  The  numbers  in  circles  refer  to  the  stereographs  correspondingly  numbered. 

(3)  Theapex  (  )  ,  or  pointfrom  which  two  lines  branch  out,  indicates  the  place  from  which  view  was  taken,  viz.,  the  place  from  which  we 

took  out,  in  the  stereograph,  over  the  territory  between  the  two  lines. 

(4)  The  branching  lines  (  )  indicate  the  limits  of  the  stereographed  scene,  viz.,  the  limits  of  our  vision  on  the  right  and  left  when  looking 

ttth#  stereograph. 

(5)  The  stereograph  number  without  a  circle  is  frequently  placed  at  the  end  of  each  branching  line  (example  (  ,  to  help  locate  quickly 

the  space  shown  in  a  stereograph. 

(6)  Sometimes  the  encircled  number  is  placed  where  it  can  be  seen  better  and  a  zigzag  line  runs  to  the  apex  to  which  it  refers. 

‘7)  When  the  field  of  view  is  limited  the  location  is  shown  by  an  arrow  running  from  the  encircled  number. 


. 

t 


T  .V  ' 


,  . .  ■  I 

I  .  " 


I  ■  m  ■ 


Mr.  ■  l .  •*. 


'  (  .  .  .  :  .• 


PALESTINE  TOUR.  MAP  2 


Garden 


DAMASCUS  GATE' 


5TEPH 
&TE  • 


[ sceftm$iii 


.NTONIA 


TOWER 


SpacJ  to 

\JeHchp,  i 


ZION  GATE 


JERUSALEM 

MT.  of  OLIVES 
am!  BETHAXY 

SCALE  OF  FEET 


i>'W'  #  W/T  ■  v  11 

5=  '•ww\w'  (y 

Pool  of  Siloam 


Copyright  lOOO.by  Underwood  $•  Underwood • 


PALESTINE  TOUR.  MAP  3 


JERICHO 

and 

Surroundings 

SCALE 


JCHO 


°Gilgal 


"JERICHO 


Copyright  iOQQtby  Un(kikvood<&  Underwood. 


■BORMAY  4  CO.,  ENGRL5  N.Y„ 


Patented  IT ,  S.  A.,  August  21, 1900.  Patented  Great  Britain,  March  22, 1900. 

Pi.  Rented  F ranee ,  March  26, 1900 .  S.  G.  D.  G •  Switzerland ,  *  Patent,  Nr. 

EXPLANATIONS  OF  MAP  SYSTEM 

(I)  The  red  lines  on  this  map  mark  out  the  territory  shown  in  the  re*pective~stereo* 
graphs. 

<2)  The  numbers  in  circles  refer  to  stereographs  correspondingly  numbered. 

(3)  The  apex  (  ^  ),  or  point  from  which  two  lines  branch  out,  indicates  the 

place  from  which  the  view  was  taken,  viz.,  the  place  from  which  we  look  out,  in  the 
Stereograph,  overthe  territory  between  the  two  lines. 

(4)  The  branching  lines  ~ '  indintr  the  limits  of  the  stereographed  scene, 

viz., the  limits  of  our  vision  on  the  rightand  left  when  lookingatthe  stereograph. 

(5)  The  stereograph  number  without  a  circle  is  frequently  placed  at  the  end  of  each 

branching  line  (example/SS^r^22  ),  to  help  locate  quickly  the  space  shown  in  a 
stereograph.  22 

)•  (6)  Sometimes  the  encircled  number  is  placed  where  it  can  be  seen  Letter  and  a 

zigzag  line  runs  the  apex  to  which  it  refers. 


I 


PALESTINE  TOUR.  MAP  4 


(StfcHAR 


Askar 


’ Cistern 


Turkish/*^ 
^\Bar  racks 


JOSEPH’S  TOMB 


he  Mount  of\B/( 


:  /'°  Wr-j 

^0'7$King  \a 

Xst/J  mi  V  V* 


THE  VALE  OF 

SHECHEM 

(NABLUS) 

,  SCALB  . 


fifipring 


3  MILES 


^Copyright  190 Underwood  $  Underwood. 


PALESTINE  TOUR.  MAP  R 


%r  o  /jop 


Village  of  0oi 
Jinrin  =» 


Vil  toe  of 


Tombs 


Springy 

hurch  - — > 

7b  /Ac  Jordan 


CultiA 


Wheat  Ficl 


“'Villajre  or'  ' 
•Jejmesima 


Emir 


MILES 


SAMARIA, 

(SEBASTIE) 


SCALE 


(T<)py right  1900^6y  Underwood  £  Underwood, 


Patented  U.  8.  A.,  August  21, 1900.  Patented  Great  Britain,  March  22, 1900. 

Patented  France,  March  26, 1900.  8.  G.  I).  G.  Switzerland,  cj^p  Patent,  Nr.  21,211 

EXPLANATIONS  OF  MAP  SYSTEM 

(1)  The  red  lines  on  this  map  mark  out  the  Territory  shown  in  the  respective  stereo¬ 
graphs. 

(2)  The  numbers  in  circles  refer  to  stereographs  correspondingly  numbered. 

(3)  The  apex  (  <Z  ),  or  point  from  which  two  lines  branch  out,  indicates  the 
place  from  which  the  view  was  taken,  viz.,  the  place  from  which  we  look  out,  in  the 
stereograph,  over  the  territory  between  the  two  lines. 

(4)  The  branching  lines  (-=dHI )  indicate  the  limits  of  the  stereographed  scene, 
viz.,  the  limits  of  our  vision  on  the  right  and  left  when  looking  at  the  stereograph. 

(5)  The  stereograph  number  without  a  circle  is  frequently  placed  at  the  end  of  each 

branching  line  (example rnn\^— - -22  ),  to  help  locate  quickly  the  space  shown  in  a 
stereograph.  -22 

*  (6)  Sometimes  the  encircled  number  is  placed  where  it  can  be  seen  tetter  and  a 
zigzag  line  runs  the  apex  to  which  it  refers. 


CH.ORAZI 


Cabul 


Hi  Bum) 


MED  ITER  R  ANEA  N/j/j 


Attain  of 
figtn  >■ 

/ 83  8i  SEA  OF 


^  of  AXha  EJi 

\Iotiaster\ 


GENNESARET 

utha 

GALILEE ^ 


,°Bethlehem‘„: 

'73 


Sitnonia  s  *****  #1125 

u.  \  /Wism0f 


’%HI- 


SgS££a/i 

<  -  ■s'/.v 


BheiktiuSarak 


yjjibrel 

fm ^ 


^/irenii™^ 


(Shjesulloth 


f Place/of  ' 
Ij/iV&Zfar 


nc  an 


/  Adami 

ftppwS 


Wi«jj 


’tiraiih. 


£wmk  moreh 

*W9W  Jiff 

•  («/*>  HAny*''., 


Iblea. 


JEZREELo 


MTSx,mGj%BO. 


ECRMAY  4  CO.,  EN6R-8  N.V. 


PALESTINE  TOUR,  MAP  6. 


SECTION 
O  F 

GALILEE 

SCALE 

( _ i _ I _ I _ l 

0  1  2  3  4  MILES 


Patented  U.S.A.,  August  21, 1900. 


Patented  Great  Britain,  March  22,  1900. 


Patented,  France,  March  X,  1900.  S.  6.  D.  0.  Switzerland,  Faienl  Air.  M,  Ml 


EXPLANATIONS  OF  MAP  SYSTEM. 


(1)  The  red  lines  on  this  map  mark  outthe  territory  shown  in  the  respective  stereographs. 

(2)  The.numbers  in  circles  refertothe  stereographs  correspondingly  numbered, 

(3)  Theapex(  ),  or  point  from  which  two  lines  branch  out,  indicates  the  place  from  which  view  was 
taken,  viz.,  the  place  from  which  we  look  out,  in  the  stereograph,  overthe  territory  between  the  two  lines. 

4)  The  branching  lines  C  ,<C  *  indicate  the  limits  of  the  stereogvephed  scene,  viz.,  the  limits  of  eur 
vision  on  the  right  and  left  when  looking  atthe  stereograph. 


(5)  The  stereograph  number  without  a  circle  isfrequently  placed  atthe  end  of  each  branching  line  (example 

(  ),  to  help  locate  quickly  the  space  shown  in  a  stereograph. 

(6)  Sometimes  the  encircled  numberis  placed  where  itcan  be  seen  betterand  azigzagline  runs  to  the  apex 
to  which  it  refers. 

(7)  When  the  field  of  view  is  limited  the  location  is  shown  by  an  arrow  runningfromthe  encircled  number 


... 

; 


. 

' 

'  <.  i 


, 


.  f;:  i  :  i  ±. 


*• 


. 

. 

. 

;  :  ■ r  •  ...... 


PALESTINE  TOUR,  MAP  7 


|£4LQJ 


Patented  CVS.  A.,  Jugult  21, 1900. 

I  'atenled  France  March  20,  1900.  3. 0.D.  (?. 

Patented  Great  lira  m,  March  22, 1900. 

Switterland ,  *  Patent,  Nr.  21,211 

PLANATIONS  OF  MAP  SYSTEM 

r  ine  with  arrows  shows'the  general  route' along  wh 
o  be  seen  in  the  stereographs  are  located.  This  roi 
t  mes  omitted  where  the  places  visited  lare  near  ea 

e  Wangles  in  red  (  [^]  )  show  the  boundaries 

)  on  a  larger  scale,  as  specified  on  the  map  mar* 
»1  thefine  line  which  runsfrom  each  rectangle. 


BEYROUT 

(BeiriiblJ^ji 


ZIDOft 

Sidon 
(Saida)  i 


seen  better 

(8)  Wher 
its  location  i 
circle  withe  i 


SareptaA^* 
(Zarei  hat {TO 


Tomb  of 


2  * 


Misrephoth 


Ecclippa/ 


laimaa 


ACCHO 


XlTijkkokct'. 


VESA  RE 
$11  LEE 
<\°R 
UJEE/A: 
rmniali 


Xob'ah' 

'aaatha 


ATHL  T 


Semjb 


Tajjdr^ 

Endor 


Rchoi 


SECTIOI 


SECTIONAL  MAP  6  jm 
^STANDPOINTS  6,-°/W 

^3  J 


*  'vf*3v 


SECTIONAL  MAP  4 
STANDPOINTS  55-60  / 


Gihbel/ion 


(Julia)  1 


Gath  Rim  in  or 


* htfadewhia 


ihraiim: 


r^Tj 

iRrCHO 


J'u  inabneel  ^ 
/  ft  J  amnia) 


■EMMAUg 
Ain  w\ ySj 

Tb'reaft 


I  LACE  OF 
rfe  BARTJ 


'Abel.ffri  it  t  i  «£>£ 


JSECTIOML  MAP  3 
.STANDPf  INTS  44-51 


SECTIONA  . 
STANDPOIN  S 


MAPS  1/&  2  l 

5  S'SfAshd.uj) 
'//■'W  (Azotus) 


Ashkclph '■ 
(Ascalo'n'p 


/Libnair-i 


(th-  bail  lmeon 


^B'ethTappuj 


pJgirjiLthai  ilr 


GAZA 


Diboa 


roer ; 


Kedcm  o  th 


Ar-Moab 


PALESTINE 


SCALE  OF  MILES 


Cndtruiood, 


Ccj’lTijiU  >  000,  ly  L'r.diru.uod  . 


K 


. 


.  jf.  -a?  *  . 


. 

. 

^  ip  ■  ,  .  .  <•  V  **■ 


'  •  - 


....^  rv 


* 


Date  Due 

f  MEin  r 

1 

i  iMUIM'III*"** 

1- - — - 

\  i 

1  • 

PRINTED  I 

N  U.  S.  A. 

